In His Shoes
by xPaparazzixChickx
Summary: Think about how you would feel if you were in his shoes. To constantly turn your back on the people you called friends. When Chris Sabin discovers something truly life changing about Alex Shelley, he tries to help him out as best he can. ChrisAlex
1. Alone

A/N: Sadly, I don't own anyone, even as much as I would LOVE to own Alex Shelley. Y'know...for my own...special...reasons...Haha Theme song for this story is "Pain" by Three Days Grace, I think you all will know who sings what part pretty much... A runner-up theme song for it is "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace also... haha. But uhh, if I don't update for a while, don't kill me. I already promised updates for my other stories forever ago and I have major writer's block for them. Hope you all like it!

**Summary :** Think about how you would feel if you were in his shoes. To constantly turn your back on the people you called friends. To constantly stand on the side lines and let people lose their respect for you. When Chris Sabin discovers something truely life-changing about Alex Shelley, he tries to help him out as best he can.

* * *

Alex Shelley closed his dark eyes as he felt the cool wind rush past him, waving his hair about only slightly. He clutched the cold stone railing of the balcony on Jeff Jarrett's second-story mansion. He honestly didn't know why he came. It wasn't like anyone wanted him here, besides Kevin and Austin that was. Jeff had only invited him because he was close to Kevin and it was pretty much the only way Kevin would come. Alex breathed out as he opened his eyes and leaned more on the railing. He stared down at the bright lights emitting from the houses and cars below. Loud music came from inside the mansion and people were all dancing and partying like drunken idiots. He really didn't know why Jeff bothered the throw a wild party, seeing as he didn't accomplish anything knew. It was probably just some random party for pure fun, like most people did now-a-days.

At hearing a noise, Alex's head whipped over to the glass doors that lead out to the balcony. He sighed at only seeing Jackie Gayda there. She barely even sent him a passing glance as she walked to the other side of the balcony and leaned over it. Alex watched her for a few minutes from beneath his hair. She nervously shifted from one foot to the other and stretched her arms out onto the railing, staring down at the low ground. At realizing she would never look back, Alex turned back to his own view. It wasn't like he was expecting someone like her to talk to him or anything. She probably had her own problems to tend to and plus, she was one of those classy girls. You know, the ones who don't even want to brush shoulders with you or cast their shadows on you.

He squeezed his eyes shut at feeling another cool wind breeze past him, whipping his hair around within itself. He felt goose bumps form on his bare arms but ignored them. He personally didn't care about them, he didn't even feel that cold. The wind rushed past him once more, this time a bit more stronger and causing his black t-shirt to lift only slightly and flow about his waist. He dug his black nail-polished nails as hard as he could into the stone underneath his palms and leaned his knee against the railing. His blue jeans barely moved, despite the wind coming on again. His wrists began to sweat at being covered by black wrist bands, but he didn't care.

"Cold night." A voice intruded into his so-called pleasure. Alex turned slightly, sort-of expecting to see Jackie actually talking to him. Instead, he found Chris Sabin leaning against the railing beside Jackie, his head bent slightly so that his newly semi-long hair covered his eyes, his arms crossed stiffly over his chest, and one foot leaned up against the railing. From his spot so far away, Alex could barely hear Jackie's soft giggle. Chris smirked at the young woman and turned his head slightly towards her. He whipped his head up quickly so that his hair flipped back and out of his face. Jackie turned to him and crossed her arms lightly over her stomach, holding her upper arms as if to warm them. "Jacket?" Chris offered her his black leather jacket that he willingly slid off of his warm body. Jackie smiled, thankful.

"Thanks." She whispered as he draped it over her shoulders. He grinned down at her. She only pulled the jacket closer to herself, trying to keep warm, though it was a hard task, seeing as she was wearing one of her best jean mini-skirts, black high heels that wrapped up her ankles, and a pink tube top that showed off her stomach. Alex rolled his eyes at the scene. He couldn't believe he had actually thought that someone wanted to talk to him. He probably needed some sleep was all. Shaking his head, he pushed himself away from the railing, deciding to call it a night. Austin and Kevin would probably find out sooner or later that he left, plus if they were actually true friends, they'd be out here with him and not in there getting wasted. He headed towards the doors, watching Chris and Jackie. The blonde woman didn't notice him leave, but Chris watched him, his face not at all welcoming. Alex shuddered the himself but continued on, picking up the pace a little before Chris would get the idea, or chance, to jump him.

* * *

"Hey, where the hell were you, man?" A voice thundered, thick with a mix of confusion and anger. Alex peeked up from his spot on the twin bed inside his hotel room. He swallowed nervously and pushed his hair from his eyes. Kevin stood there, an odd sway to him as he tried to look as menacing as he could, but he was obviously failing due to the amount of alcohol he had taken in. Austin was currently passed out, drunk, on the couch. Alex hadn't seen him come in. "Why'd ya leave? The party was just getting good."

"No one wanted me there, besides you two and you guys were too busy becoming intoxicated to care, or notice." Alex explained rationally as he stared at his nails. Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, you know how they all are to me. The only reason I was invited because Jeff wants to stay on your good side." He continued, anger coming into his voice at the thought. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to relax. Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Man, you know that people wanted you there." He waved his much younger friend off before collapsing onto the other twin bed. He closed his eyes and rested his palm over his eyes. Alex studied Kevin for a while before huffing and standing up. Austin continued to soundly sleep on the couch, not once making a peep.

"Yeah, maybe for Pin The Knife On The Jackass or to be the piñata." Alex snapped harshly, "Everyone hates me, and I'm fine with that, so you don't have to pretend to not notice it." He clenched his fists and headed to the bathroom. Kevin groaned and rubbed his temples.

"Alex," He shook his head slowly, sitting up. He opened his eyes and returned both of his hands to his side, opening his mouth to say something, only to realize Alex was already in the bathroom. He fell back onto the bed, giving up in frustration. He couldn't think straight in the first place and he could feel a headache coming on from trying to even straighten out his thoughts. Deciding to wait until the morning to question Alex, he climbed under the blankets and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift away.

* * *

Alex leaned up against the bathroom door, blinking furiously. He let his head lean back against the white wooden door, closing his eyes before they could spill over with tears. Clenching his fists, he punched the door behind him. This wasn't fair. He wasn't supposed to be feeling like this. He wasn't supposed to be treated like this. Opening his eyes, he looked at the mirror, staring at his reflection. He felt empty and used up. He walked over to the counter in front of the mirror and rested his hands on the cold marble.

He closed his eyes for another minute before opening them and looking down at his hands. He lifted them off of the counter and studied the black wristband that currently warmed his wrist. Frustrated tears coming to his eyes, he tugged at the wristband and tossed it thoughtlessly onto counter. He glared at the scratch on his wrist. It seemed to be healing along fine, seeing as it only formed yesterday. He dropped down to his knees and threw open the cabinets, eyes frantically looking for something. He shoved aside the piles of hair products he had already stuffed in there. His eyes lit up at spotting it. Ever so slowly, he reached in and picked it up by it's handle. Thankfully Kevin and Austin hadn't found it, seeing as Alex had literally tossed it in there after they tried knocking the door down to get inside so Austin could get ready for his big one-night stand with some random whore.

Alex drew a shaky breath as he held the object in his hand, studying it carefully. Standing up and not once letting his eyes leave it, he traced the tip with his forefinger. He quickly stole a glance at the door, hoping Kevin and Austin were sleeping, or doing something to occupy their attention for a bit. Looking back to the object, he pushed his hair out of his eyes. Finally feeling as comfortable as possible in this situation, he turned over his hand and stared at the lonely scratch that stared up at him. He stared back at it through blurry tears as he lowered the sharp object down to the space beneath the scratch. At feeling the cold, pointy teeth of the knife touch his delicate skin, he winced. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and applied more pressure until it pierced his skin. He almost let out a yelp, but it got caught in his throat.

He dropped the knife onto the counter and stared at the new wound. Blood spilled out of it and it stung, but it was only a small price to pay to feel somewhat better. He sucked in his air, trying to ignore the pain, but it was impossible. He moaned, wrapping his fingers around his wrist to try and cut off the stinging. It was working thankfully. He opened his eyes as the pain drifted away and stared at his reflection. Tears spilled over his eyes and onto his cheeks. Alex couldn't even decide if they were tears of pain emotionally or physically. He let himself fall against the counter as sobs escaped his body. How could he have fallen so far? Only about a year ago he was on top of the world. Being considered a serious competitor, having the best friends ever, everything! Now it was all falling apart with the return of Kevin. He let out another sob as tears raced down his cheeks and onto the countertop.

He shouldn't be crying. Hadn't he promised himself he wouldn't care about anyone? What happened to that? Shaking his head, he held back another sob and reluctantly let go of his wrist. Shakily, he pushed his hair out of his eyes again and stared at the scratch. Now the other one didn't look so lonely. He sighed deeply and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as his lip trembled. He squeezed his eyes shut. No. He wasn't going to break down anymore. Never again would he fall victim to his own emotions. Emotions, like people, sucked. As the moment of almost-breakdown passed, he opened his eyes. He blinked perusively at his own reflection. His eyes were red and his cheeks were tear stained. He bit down on his lip and nearly jumped at the knock on the door. Quickly grabbing the knife and throwing it back to it's original hiding spot, he unlocked the door and opened it, hoping whoever was there wouldn't notice his tear stains or red eyes.

"What the hell are you still doing up?" Austin mumbled tiredly as he rubbed his own red eyes, but they were due to lack of sleep, not crying. Alex gave a tiny shrug and watched Austin look him over. "You okay...?" Austin blinked and walked into the bathroom, continuing to look over Alex. The Michigan native quickly hid his wrist at realizing Austin could spot it. Remembering his wristband he whipped around and spotted it, snatching it before Austin could even blink again.

"I'm fine. If it's okay with you, I'm gonna head to bed." Alex lied as he slid his wristband back onto his wrist, slightly cringing as it swept over the new, still bleeding, scratch. He should have really wiped it off with a tissue or something earlier. Austin nodded his head and for once, Alex realized, the man's earrings weren't happily bouncing up and down. They weren't even on his ears for a change. Alex didn't put much thought into it though. He just simply headed out of the bathroom and towards his bed, no intentions of sleeping. He wouldn't be able to sleep, not after what he had just done. He needed time to think, time to wonder about how the hell he was going to control his all-time high emotions. Instead, at the last moment before walking into the bed, he turned and walked towards the sliding glass doors. Opening the curtains, he let the moon shine onto the ground.

Without glancing behind him, he unlocked the door and opened it, letting himself seem to glide outside. He closed the door behind him and walked to one of the two chairs seated there. He curled up into a ball and stared out past the railing, watching cars pass by underneath. It was shockingly quiet, but he didn't mind. He seriously wanted quiet, it was what he needed. As he watched the cars drive by, he felt his eyelids get heavy. Deciding to just close them for a minute or two, he began to drift off. Thoughts of everything he had planned to think about faded away as he fell deeper and deeper into sleep, his hair falling into his eyes and the pain from his scratch still stinging, but going away.

* * *

A/N: First chapter down! Yay! Hopefully you liked reading it and hopefully you'll be kind enough to review!...Please? 


	2. Pain

A/N: Yay! You people actually like it! I was shocked, trust me. I was scared no one would like it at all, but you people made me happy. I love you!

* * *

"And so I've been doing some thinking and I believe we should push the X-Division harder. You guys seemed to be lacking the past few weeks." Jim Cornette eyed each X-Division star carefully. Jerry Lynn blinked blankly while he pursed his lips in thought. Chris Sabin rolled his blue eyes and let his head rest on his fist while his elbow supported his head on the arm rest. One leg was lazily draped across Jay Lethal's lap, who sat next to him on the couch inside the meeting room backstage of TNA. Jay just watched Jim, eyebrow slightly raised. Sonjay sat next to him, shaking his head slowly and cursing under his breath. Senshi quietly sat in the corner like always, after all, he wasn't one to complain, or talk much. Austin slyly hid a chuckle. Seemed like Jim was getting pretty desperate for viewers if he called last week's 6-man tag team match between him, Alex, Petey, Chris, Sonjay, and Jay lacking. Petey Williams silently glared daggers at Jim. He never pushed the bigger guys. Just the X-Division. Not even the Knockouts, though there weren't much. 

"I think I know where you're coming from." Jerry nodded and crossed his arms tightly across his chest. Jim nodded his head while the wrestlers all rolled their eyes. "I saw that match last week and it did seem like there could have been more potential in the match." He pointed out, looking at each individual in the match last week that he was talking about. AJ Styles shook his head and ran his hand through his hair while Christopher Daniels studied his X-Division title belt rather intently.

"So this week we'll have a battle royal for a number one contenders match to the X-Division title, which Christopher Daniels will defend at Against All Odds." Jim clasped his hands together. Christopher sighed, knowing very well that was coming up. AJ looked at his friend expectantly, as well as his title. Chris held back a yawn while Jay rubbed his eyes. Jim sure knew how to ruin their moods. "Jerry, I believe you know these guys better than me. Who do you think deserves a title shot?" He asked, lowering his voice only slightly. Even Senshi strained to hear him. Chris finally let out his yawn as Jim's head turned to face Jerry. The blonde ex-X-Division star blinked under the heavy gaze from most of the wrestlers in the room.

"Personally, I believe we should give someone new a shot at the title. I've been getting a few complaints from a few guys about how Chris, AJ, Senshi, and Christopher get title shots and runs. So, if you asked me, I'd have to go with my gut. I'm not going to lie to any of you, and so, I believe Alex deserves a turn." Jerry finished as he nodded, shrugging lightly. Chris stopped in mid-yawn as everyone else in the room turned and twisted to find the man who's name was spoken.

"Alex...?" Chris asked, not sure if he heard his former mentor correctly. "Our Alex?" He raised an eyebrow as someone chuckled. Jerry nodded, his face looking dead serious. Chris' jaw dropped only slightly before he soon joined in the gawking of the other's at Alex. Alex was busy staring at everyone staring back at him. His eyes widened as his heart pounded and he started to feel extremely hot. Plus, the looks weren't exactly the most welcoming, which made him feel even more uncomfortable.

"You call that champion material?" AJ pointed at Alex, jaw dropped and eyebrow raised. Christopher nodded in agreement. Austin rolled his eyes at the two and opened his mouth as if to say something, but at the last second, crossed his arms instead. Alex swallowed nervously as he tried to think of something to say. But he couldn't. What could he possibly say? "Thanks, but I really don't think I deserve this? After all, Chrissy over there may try to actually kill me in the ring?" An idea struck him and he quickly closed his eyes, hoping they would all be gone by the time he opened them. Cautiously, Alex reopened his eyes, one at a time. Sadly, the crew of wrestlers were all still there, all still staring at him like he had three heads.

"Are you sure he even knows how to wrestle?" Sonjay questioned, looking back at Jerry unsurely. Jerry swiftly glared at the young man, hoping his subtle warning worked in shutting him up. Obviously, from the look Sonjay was still giving him, it hadn't. "I mean, he hasn't wrestled in, like, a year! He's always with his little camera and Austin and Kevin, prying into everyone's personal lives and stabbing people in the back!" The Indian man exclaimed, not even trying to stop himself from throwing his arms into the air in frustration. "I've been due for a title shot for months and he gets one for embarrassing us with his stupid little camera?!" Sonjay continued on his rant, making Jerry think that he was more than a little jealous. Chris nodded in agreement to everything Sonjay was saying. Jay nodded here and there. Alex bit on his lip, blinking back the tears that burned his eyes. He had to. If the other guys saw him cry over them insulting him, he would never hear the end of it. Plus, he made himself promise that he wouldn't cry anymore.

"Gentlemen, I believe that you've forgotten about Alex's past. Does Generation Next and ROH and tag team championships and cruiserweight championships mean anything to you?" Jerry shook his head slowly at everyone, but mainly Chris, Sonjay, and Jay. "He's accomplished a lot and I think you're all brushing that aside because of his recent behavior. I remember every little thing about each one of you and that helps me pick out who should be champion." The blonde man explained rationally as he drummed his fingers on his leg. He hadn't really thought they would all be so immature about this. He glanced over at Alex and noticed his repeated blinking and that he was fidgeting a bit too much to be normal. "Is this okay with you...?" He asked cautiously, now focused entirely on the Michigan native. Alex stopped blinking and fidgeting enough to notice Jerry studying him. He swallowed the lump in his dry throat and nodded.

"Uhm... yeah... Sure." He gave a limp shrug and looked down to stare at the floor, praying that everyone wasn't looking at him anymore. Chris scoffed a laugh and rolled his blue eyes while Sonjay narrowed his eyes at Alex. Christopher chewed on his lip in thought as he watched Alex stare at the ground. Austin licked his dry lips and peered at Alex from behind his sunglasses, cupping his chin in his hand.

"You sure? Not as enthusiastic as I thought you would be." Jerry commented, crossing his arms across his chest and raising an eyebrow at the younger man. AJ mumbled something in agreement while Senshi glared at Alex. If Alex had a shot at the title by just filming everyone around him, then was he wasting his time beating the crap out of everybody that came into contact with him in the ring? Alex blinked once more as he glanced up to meet Jerry's steady gaze.

"No... it's great. Just great." Alex managed to let out before standing up numbly. He felt a shiver run up his spine at the gazes he was receiving before turning his back to them and heading out the door, trying not to run for it. Austin watched his tag-team partner leave, feeling a bit bad. After all, everyone was ganging up on him and he hadn't said anything. Sighing, Austin shoved himself up from his spot, following in Alex's footsteps.

"There's something wrong with that guy." Chris shook his head slowly, speaking very clearly about Alex as he raised his leg to meet his other one across Jay's lap. The New Jersey man nodded hurriedly in agreement while Sonjay huffed in frustration. Senshi's face returned to his usual expressionless one and he sunk into his seat, eyeing up everyone quietly. Chris was right, there was definitely something wrong with Alex.

* * *

"So you're both going tonight, right?" Kevin asked as he stretched out his back. Austin glanced up from his magazine from his spot on the wooden bench inside the X-Division locker room. He gave a tiny shrug while Kevin continued to pack up his bag. 

"Yeah, probably. Afterall, Christy's gonna be there." That comment made Kevin fail at hiding a chuckle. Austin had been chasing after Chisty Hemme for probably a good two months or so. She had obviously shown no interest in the poor man, which made him seem like a huge fool infront of a lot of people when she turned him down for the seventh time. Kevin shook his head at Austin, who seemed pretty serious about this whole thing.

"Man, you're in way over your head. She'd rather go after guys like Jeff or Christian even. But hey, good luck...?" Kevin tried to offer his friend some positive enforcement. Austin gave a grim smile at that before putting his magazie down.

"Yeah, and like Jackie had any interest in Alex over there." Austin smirked as he glanced over at Alex, who was sitting on the bench across from him, his elbows bent on his knees and his head bowed pretty much between his knees, only his hands supporting his head. Kevin's eyes trailed after Austin's gaze questioningly. "Right, 'lex?" At his nick name being mentioned, Alex looked up blankly. He blinked a few times, trying to remember what the two had been talking about a few moments earlier. "Don't give me that look, bud. I saw the way you looked at Jackie last night at Jeff's, plus you were mainly focusing the camera on her when you walked into the Knockout's locker room last week, and also, you kept that little Paparazzi video of her all to yourself, you dirty dog." Austin's smirk only grew wider with each word he spilled out. The corners of Kevin's own lips twisted up into his own little smirk.

"Awh, is our little Alex in love?" The much bigger man asked Alex, his entire attention on him. Alex sighed and averted his gaze away from them with a tiny shake of his head. Austin stood up and practically skipped over to Alex. This was much better than that awkward meeting they had earlier.

"Hey, Kev, who am I?" Austin smiled as he plopped down next to Alex and draped both his legs over Alex's lap, reaching behind Alex to cup the back of his head with his hand. He then placed a hand over his heart and leaned his head back, "Jackie, I do declare I am in love with you!" He laughed at his own stupid antics and watched Alex narrow his eyes at him. With a sudden burst of anger, Alex shoved Austin off of him and onto the floor.

"I don't like Jackie. I would never like the stupid whorey bimbo!" He practically screamed out. Sending both Austin and Kevin menacing looks, he stomped over to his things and grabbed some clothes, "And to answer your question, no, I'm not going tonight. So have fun partying and getting drunk with Jeff and your little whore, Christy, and just forget about me, alright? I'm going to take a shower." Alex snapped harshly, watching both Kevin and Austin's faces twist down in huge frowns. Without saying anything else, he stalked into the shower area. Austin looked up at Kevin, blinking.

"What the fuck is his fuckin' problem?" The Wisconsin native growled, pushed himself up off the floor and brushed himself off. Kevin sighed and offered a shrug, meaning he didn't know either. Austin crossed his arms. "If I wasn't one of the only two friends he has, I'd go kill him." He threatened, glaring at the room Alex had entered. Kevin nodded in agreement.

"I know what you mean." He ran a hand through his hair and chewed on his lip thoughtfully, "Look, no use trying to talk to him when he's this pissed. We might as well just go meet up with Jeff and Scott, he'll probably cool down by the time we get back to the hotel." He suggested, grabbing his bag and heading to the door. Austin eyed the shower room for a bit, but nodded at Kevin's suggestion. Pushing his hair to the side, he snatched his own things and followed Kevin out the door, not once looking back as the door closed behind him.

* * *

Alex gave a deep sigh of relief at hearing the door close. He pushed his hair back and felt his lip quiver as tears filled his dark eyes. He really had no intention of taking a shower, he just needed an escape from them. Weren't they supposed to be his friends? Weren't they supposed to be there for him!? Did the definition of a friend change while he wasn't looking? Sliding down the tile wall, he covered his mouth with his hand as tears started to trail down his cheeks. His knees came up to his chest and he let his other arm lay across his stomach. Life sucked. He couldn't believe he had fallen this far and had gotten this pathetic. Only one thought remained in his chaotic mind. He reached down with his hand to his pocket and barely bothered the glance around himself as he pulled out a tiny pocket knife. 

Studying it from behind his teary gaze, he placed it next to him before tugging off his black wristband to reveal his non-scratched wrist. Sighing and taking a shaky breath, he picked up the knife again. Letting the tears dribble off his chin and onto his shirt, he lowered the knife down to his wrist, letting it cut his warm flesh. He was barely able to hold in his cry of pain. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he lifted the knife from himself and let it fall to the ground with a loud clatter. Opening his eyes, he stared at his wrist. This one didn't seem to hurt as much. He tried to smile triumphantly, but there was nothing to be proud of. His life was spiraling downward and he was trying to get himself to smile? He wasn't even sure he knew how to smile anymore.

"Yeah, I'll see you guys in a bit." The voice went unacknowledged by Alex. He didn't even care about anything at the moment. He just lowered his head down to his knees and let out a sob as tears raced down his cheeks. He hugged his knees to his chest and continued to cry. It was one of the few things that made him feel somewhat better. He felt a pounding headache come on, but he didn't bother with it. It would go away anyway. Sniffling, he almost choked on another sob. "What the hell?" The sudden noise caused Alex to jump. He could only match that voice with one person, and even as much as he hated to do it, he looked up, only to meet the gaze of Chris Sabin. Chris stared back at him, his eyebrow shooting up in confusion. Alex's heart pounded as realization hit him. In one swift motion, he quickly grabbed his wristband and the knife, shoving it in his pocket. He shook as he put his wristband back on and practically leapt to his feet, sniffling once again and wiping his eyes with his wristband.

"Alex...?" Chris let out as he took a step to him, his eyebrow still high up. "What were you just..." The man couldn't even finish his sentence. This wasn't making much sense to him at all. Alex's face hardened as he tried to dismiss the fact Chris had just witnessed him crying and had seen the evidence. Deciding on not saying anything, Alex started to take long strides to the door. Today really wasn't his day. "Alex," Chris reached out and grabbed Alex by his upper arm, "What's wrong?" He could barely finished his sentence, seeing as Alex took a huge swing at Chris' face.

"Don't touch me!" Alex screamed, shoving Chris off of him and storming out of the room. Chris' heart picked up speed as he watched Alex leave. He couldn't believe that had just happened. Blinking, he let out a shallow breath and sighed at hearing the door slam, meaning Alex had left. He was right about something being wrong with Alex, but he hadn't known it was that serious. He couldn't just let Alex keep doing that to himself, especially if he was the one causing it. But it wasn't like Alex cared much what he thought, he had made that quite clear. There had to be someway for him to help him out.

* * *

A/N: Awh, my poor Alex. -Sob- Anyway, please R&R! 


	3. I'm Not Okay

A/N: Still feeling loved here, haha. Don't ask about the song, I couldn't really think of any good party songs...

* * *

"_This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race! This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race_!" Blared from the stereo that was turned up seven notches too loud. No one in the whole house seemed to care much though. Alcoholic drinks were spilt all over the rug and tables, people were grinding into each other on the dance floor, the couches were filled up with couples making out, and there was almost no room to walk or move. If anyone else was crammed in, the house would burst due to too much capacity. Kevin heartily let out a bark of laughter as he finished sipping on his Coors Light and placed it on the bar counter before him. Jeff Jarrett, the host of the third wild party this week, sat beside him, grinning like a lunatic as he watched SoCal Val and Leticia Cline out of the corner of his eye. The two were pretty much the sluts of the locker room, but neither cared much. Guys just used them whenever their girlfriends or wives weren't around and girls wanted to look like them.

"Hey, so I take it Alex wasn't in a partying mood?" Jeff questioned as he looked back at Kevin, still grinning. Kevin shrugged and fingered his beer can cooly for a moment before opening his mouth to respond to his friend's voice.

"Nope. Totally flipped on me and Austin in the locker room earlier. Something's been up with that kid." He replied, half paying attention to what he was saying. The music was so loud the two men had to practically scream to hear each other. Jeff nodded his head slowly and drummed his fingers on the wooden counter.

"Hey, he's your friend, not mine." He told Kevin honestly, "I try being nice to him, he blows me off. Don't see what you see in him." Kevin chuckled at that and rested his hand on his knee in thought. Without much hesitation, he allowed himself to answer him.

"Me neither." Jeff's face twisted in a smirk as he laughed. At that moment, Austin decided to plop down into the seat beside Kevin. He hastily grabbed Kevin's beer and downed it all in one huge, swift gulp. Both men slowly stared at Austin unsurely. The Wisconsin man slammed the can onto the counter and frowned slightly.

"Is something wrong with me?" He asked, a bit quieter than either other man had expected him to be. Kevin shrugged while Jeff shook his head slowly, his eyebrow raised. "Because every other woman in this room has danced with me more than once and Christy won't even glance at me."

"Maybe she thinks you're a man-whore?" Kevin suggested with a laugh. Austin's face contorted into something that almost resembled a pout. Jeff grinned at him, feeling a bit more entertained that earlier. "But seriously, man, you want her so badly, go talk to her. She's not gonna bite your head off."

"Yeah, I've talked to her, she's a pretty neat chick." Jeff added as his gaze wandered over to the red head in name. Austin's eye followed his gaze and he sighed deeply. Kevin only chewed on his lip for a bit in thought.

"Alright. I'll be back." Austin's face picked up and his pout turned into a grin as he winked, fixed his hat, and stood up, practically sauntering over to his latest craze.

* * *

"Alex? You in there?" The pounding on the door into the hotel continued to grow louder and louder with each bang. Alex mentally slapped himself as he buried his face into his pillow and groaned silently. Chris just wouldn't take no for an answer. Was he not safe from people prying into his personal life anymore? "Come on, man. We need to talk. What you're doing isn't right!" Chris continued pressed on, hoping, and praying, that Alex would open the door or atleast say something. "We used to be friends, remember? Before I went on to win titles and before... you turned into a jerk." Chris' face suddenly twisted from a frown into an 'o' as the door swung open. Alex stood before him, his hair as messy as it could ever get, his eyes red and puffy, and his clothes disheveled. His hands clenched into fists as he closed the door behind him.

"You mean before _you _turned your back on me." Alex whispered so low Chris had to strain to hear him. Without bothering to give it a second thought, Alex strolled down the hallway, his head bowed to the ground and his fists jammed in his pockets. Chris sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he chased after Alex.

"Come on, don't be like this. You know I was still there for you. You just went all anti-social and jerky on me." Chris retorted, sounding a bit harsher than he originally planned for it to come out. Alex didn't even think about glancing over at the man he once considered his best friend. "I'm gonna say this once and only once because I don't need the guys giving me a hard time about this but," Chris paused, searching for the right words, "Alex, you're scaring me. You're practically committing suicide, and I don't want to lose you. No one does. Deep down inside everyone likes you. You just take all of this shit from everyone and that's why they keep doing it." Alex stopped walking after pressing the button for the elevator. He coldly turned and stared at Chris for a few minutes. As the bell dinged, indicating the elevator was here, Alex's eyes narrowed.

"Then they have a weird way of showing affection." He stated before calmly walking into the elevator. He rolled his eyes while his back was to Chris. Was this guy ever going to give up? He found out one little thing about him and suddenly he wanted to play the hero? He never cared before, what made it so different if he were to die?

"Alex!" Chris called after him as he jumped into the elevator after him just as the doors went to close. "You know I'm right. You just don't want to admit it. You complain about everyone hating you and here I am, trying to care but you're pushing me away! What do you want!?" The Detroit native shouted out in frustration as he threw his arms into the air. Alex leaned against the wall of the elevator as it began to move downward. He eyed Chris up and down for a moment or two.

"What I want is for you to leave me alone and just go back to ignoring me like you used to always do." He responded, his voice heavy with anger as his eyes clouded up angrily. Chris' jaw slightly dropped, but not much. It wasn't like he wasn't expecting an answer like that from Alex. An awkward silence ligered in the air and Alex silently cursed, wondering why the hell the elevator was taking so long today.

"I know you're scared." This comment made Alex practically gag and roll his eyes up to the ceiling, more openly this time. Was Chris this desperate to solve everyone else's problems? "You're scared and alone and confused and I'm here for you. I said I was sorry and I really mean it, Alex." Chris continued on, sincerity in his voice. Alex almost wanted to point and laugh at how pathetic Chris was making himself seem, but stopped himself at the last minute.

"Pretending you're scared for me and saying how you want to help me doesn't change what you've done to me in the past and it's not going to change how I feel towards you." Alex commented dryly as he stared at the metal doors before him as he pushed himself up, seeing as they were slowing down. Now it was Chris' turn to roll his eyes.

"You think I'm pretending to feel this way? Alex, you're fuckin' cutting yourself. It would scare anyone shitless. I've known you since before we were in grade school. You were my best friend for like ever and I know I was yours. If it helps any, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _I'm sorry_!!" Chris screamed the last one as his eyes narrowed and he clenched his hands into tight fists. "How many fuckin' times do I have to say it!?" The doors swung open at that and both men stood there, glaring at each other as if they had killed each other's families.

"Until you mean it." Alex spat before he turned on his heel and swept out of the elevator, leaving Chris alone to his own thoughts.

* * *

Jackie smiled and let out a deep sigh as she stared up at the stars in the night sky. The music, which was giving her a throbbing migrane, was still as loud, if not louder, as earlier. She dug her palms into the railing of the balcony and closed her eyes slowly, letting her mind drift. She always enjoyed coming out here to think or just chill out whenever she came over Jeff's. Not many people noticed whenever she would leave the parties. At the sound of a door slamming, she jumped and her eyes snapped open. Turning around slowly, she blinked at the person before her. Their head was bent, their hands were jammed in their pants pockets, and they were slouching as they stomped across the concrete.

Jackie raised her eyebrow at him as names and faces raced through her mind. She knew she had seen him before, she just couldn't remember when or where. Chris? No. Jeff? No. Max? No. Adam? No. She groaned inwardly at the frustration building up in her and mentally slapped herself. Crossing her arms lightly across her stomach, she watched him for a bit more. He continued walking until he was right beside her, acting as if she wasn't there. Jackie secretly wondered if he knew she was there. How could he have missed her?

"Alex!" She suddenly shouted out, grinning as she remembered his name. "You're that guy that hangs around Kevin and Austin. The one with the camera?" She peered at him curiously. Alex only eyed her slowly and nodded, his hair falling into his eyes. He frowned more deeply and looked out over the balcony and down to the cars passing by. Oh, now she noticed him. Jackie blushed, a bit embarrased, and bowed her head, trying to allow her golden locks to hide her face. "Sorry, got a little excited." She mumbled shyly. Alex shrugged lightly and let a shallow sigh escape his lips. He could really care less about Jackie right now. The only thing on his mind was getting away from Chris for the rest of his miserable life. "You okay? You seem a bit upset." The blonde woman noted, trying to make some sort of conversation with the man. After all, they _were_ the only two out here and it was a bit awkward just standing there and not talking.

"I'm fine." Alex almost snapped, he bit down on his lip after that, thinking over his harsh tone. Jackie nodded, her heart in her throat. She hadn't been expecting something that cold sounding to come out of his frail body. "Look, Jackie, I'm not really in the mood to talk. I just came out here to think and clear my head, alright?" He ran a hand through his hair and crossed his arms across his chest tightly, focusing entirely on the lights below him. Jackie nodded, understanding completely, though she wasn't quite sure why. The two stood there in a bit of an awkward silence, or atleast in Jackie's case. She seemed like a nervous wreck; fidgeting, tapping her palms against her thighs, chewing on her lip, twirling her hair, swaying in the breeze, watching Alex out of the corner of her eye, anything really. Alex was the exact opposite. He stood as if her were a statue, just staring out ahead of himself, his arms crossed, his head slightly bowed so his hair covered his mysterious eyes, and his left leg slightly bent against the railing. The two couldn't look so different if they had tried. And to top it all off, the silence lingering in the air between them was deafening Jackie.

"Oh my God! Jackie, you have _got to_ come see this!" Christy Hemme's voice shouted out, ruining any possible thinking or moments that were happening at that time. Alex groaned to himself and rolled his eyes, but acted as if the cheery red head wasn't alive. Jackie turned and her heart picked up speed, half grateful for her friend's rude interruption. "Ew, why are you with _him_?" Christy's nose wrinkled as she said this, spitting out the word 'him' as if it were a bad taste in her mouth. Jackie shrugged and crossed her arms loosly across her stomach. "Come on, I think if we leave now, no one'll see." The small red headed woman grabbed Jackie's upper arm and dragged her away from Alex. The blonde could only watch Alex as she was dragged away with almost no resistance.

* * *

Alex stared at his wrist, watching the blood ooze out of the new scratch indifferently. Even though Kevin and Austin were fast asleep and Chris was far from the room, he couldn't help but feel a bit jumpier than usual. After all, the Detroit native ex-champion had seemed pretty desperate earlier to keep Alex from cutting. Not like Alex cared much. He was probably right, Chris had just wanted to seem like the hero so everyone would still love him.

He chewed on his bottom lip and continued to stare at the scratch before eyeing the knife out of the corner of his eye. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he let his leg stretch out before him while he let his elbow rest on his other knee, leaning his head against the wall. His eyes teared up as he gazed at the ceiling longingly. There had to be an easier way out of this. A faster way. He honestly couldn't handle being here anymore, what with everyone constantly bugging him and being the ignorant jerks they were. Chris suddenly flashed in his mind again. Alex squeezed his eyes shut as memories of the two came rushing back. He couldn't be caving into Chris' caring gestures so early, it just wouldn't make any sense. Chris was a two-faced, back stabbing, asshole who just wanted to keep up his reputation at all costs. The old Chris was long gone. He was never coming back, no matter how much he thought he was. Alex drew both knees up to his chest and buried his face in them, allowing a tiny sob to escape at the thoughts. Acting unemotional was harder than it looked.

* * *

A/N: Please R&R!! 


	4. Conflicts Of The Heart

A/N: Yayy. Another fabulous update. Haha.

* * *

"Hey, Alex, we need to talk." Was the last thing Alex really wanted to hear out of that man's mouth. He couldn't even walk across a room without being spoken to by him anymore. Slowy turning to face the taller man, he glared. 

"Chris, fuck off. I already told you." Alex snapped harshly as he rolled his eyes and went to continue walking to the door. Chris sighed deeply and rubbed his temples as he shook his head in frustration. Biting down on his bottom lip, he reached out and grabbed Alex's upper arm. Alex turned his head to stare at Chris menacingly. Blue desperate eyes met brown hurt eyes while a heavy silence lingered in the air.

"Please. I'm _begging_ you. Stop it. You're my best friend, even if you don't want to be, and I know I hurt you and I'm sorry about it. I truely am. I let all of the glory go to my head, alright? I admit it. I'll do anything, just stop hurting yourself." Chris pleaded as he frowned, staring into Alex's eyes and searching for some sort of common ground. Alex stared back at Chris for a few minutes before closing his eyes and ripping his arm out of his grasp.

"I'm not hurting myself and I'm fine." Alex muttered as he stiffly crossed his arms across his chest and turned back to the door, refusing to let Chris see his face. Chris licked his dry lips and he took in a deep breath. He once again reached out and grabbed Alex's upper arm, only this time, slamming him up against the wall. Alex let out a tiny cry of pain and shock as he winced and tears sprang behind his eyes. Chris's gaze hardened as Alex tried to push him off of him. "Let me go." The Michigan native whined as he pushed Chris' chest away. Chris only grabbed Alex's arms and continued pinning him against the wall, his gaze not once leaving Alex's face.

"Do you honestly think cutting yourself is fine!? Do you think you're not hurting yourself!? You're practically committing suicide!" Chris screamed, anger over-coming him. Alex's eyes welled up as he turned his face away and closed his eyes tightly, feeling a sob come into his throat slowly but surely. "Answer me." The ex-champion growled as he forced more pressure on Alex.

"No one would care anyway." Was Alex's response after a long pause. He struggled to crawl out of Chris' grasp, but failed miserably. Chris loosened his grip slightly as his face softened. He could only stare at Alex as he shook his head slowly. Were they really that harsh to him? Alex opened his eyes, but continued staring at the ground, his eyes still teary and his breathing coming in shallow breaths.

"That's not true..." Chris mumbled, as his grip loosened even more. He studied Alex's face for a while before continuing, "How the hell did you get that idea?" He asked quietly, raising an eyebrow. Alex eyed Chris out of the corner of his eye but quickly looked back at the ground when he realized Chris was watching him. "Alex..."

"It's pretty obvious." Alex responded unsurely. He allowed himself to look back at Chris and his breath caught in his throat. Chris' compassionate eyes met Alex's betrayed ones once again and neither man spoke. Chris searched for something, anything, to say, but there was nothing. He was out of explanations and reasons and thoughts as soon as Alex caught his gaze. Alex's eyes teared up even more and his tears threatened to spill. Realizing this, he quickly broke eye contact and pulled himself out of Chris' grasp, wrapping his arms around himself as he headed to the door. Chris stood there, watching Alex leave. He had noticed the tears too.

* * *

"So, you gonna do it tonight?" Kevin's question caught Austin off-guard and the younger man almost stumbled over in shock. He blinked and he fixed his black cap as he shrugged aimlessly. Kevin raised an eyebrow at Austin and drummed his fingers on the table between the two friends. 

"I... I dunno, actually." Austin sighed and played with his feather earring, filing through his thoughts for something more to say, "She's not like any of the other chicks here on TNA and I really don't wanna screw up with her, at least not yet, y'know?" The Wisconsin man explained rationally as he let his hands fall into his lap. He eyed Kevin from behind his sunglasses before glancing out the window of the bar. Kevin nodded and crossed his arms across his chest.

"So, you're actually going to take the time to... form a relationship with her?" When Austin nodded, Kevin raised his eyebrows and looked out the window, slowly shaking his head and watching a few people pass by on the dark street. Another topic formed in his head and he looked back at Austin uneasily, "Do you know what's up with Alex?" Austin's head whipped up and he stared at Kevin for a while. Kevin stared back at him, blinking now and again.

"Man, I really don't know. But he's been so weird lately. Like, pissy and short-tempered. And... "Austin looked around himself before leaning in over the table to Kevin so he could whisper it, "The other night, I caught him in the bathroom. He was really jumpy and I... dunno, it was weird. You don't think he's..." He trailed off, not sure how to exactly word it. Kevin leaned his elbows on the table, watching Austin.

"He's what?" He asked slowly. Austin opened and closed his mouth a few times before licking his lips. His heart picked up speed for even having to question this. Alex surely would've told them about it, wouldn't he? He straightened his cap nervously once more before deciding now was the time to suggest it.

"You don't think he's seeing someone, do you?" Austin raised an eyebrow at Kevin and the older man's face dropped. Kevin furrowed his eyebrows together as he thought Austin's question over. It made sense. Alex's weird behavior. Alex flipping out on them for thinking he liked Jackie. Alex being so short tempered and weird. It all clicked. It all made sense, except for one detail.

"Why wouldn't he tell us about it though?" Kevin asked Austin, frowning more to himself than his friend. Austin pursed his lips in thought. Kevin had a point. But it was Alex. He was the mysterious guy no one knew much about out of the three of them.

"Maybe he was scared or uncertain about it." Austin suggested as he tried to figure out a reasonable solution to their Alex problem. Kevin nodded in agreement. That would make sense. They were talking about Alex after all, not Jeff Jarrett or Scott Steiner. Those two would gloat about anything and everything they accomplished, even if it was just talking to some girl. "Or even... mad at us..."

"That may just be it." Kevin nodded as he clasped his hands together. "But mad at us? What did we ever do to him?" Austin emptily shrugged as he glanced around the room in thought.

"Well, back in the meeting room I didn't defend him from everyone else, and we haven't been the best of friends to him if you know what I mean..." The dark-haired man pointed out, frowning at the memories. Kevin stared at Austin, knowing very well he had a really good point to all of this. Austin sighed and stood up, placing a couple dollars down onto the table. "Alright, I gotta go meet up with Christy. If you find out anything more about Alex, call me." With a small wave, he headed out the door without a second look back. Kevin leaned back into his seat and smiled. When Austin put his mind to it, he was pretty smart.

* * *

"And from Detroit, Michigan, weighing in at one-hundred and ninety-nine pounds... Alex Shelley!" David Penzer announced before dropping the microphone from his lips and back to his side. He glanced around at Austin, AJ, Senshi, Chris, Jay, Sonjay, and Petey before climbing out of the ring as Alex's music hit. Jay, Chris, and Sonjay all stood in one corner, chatting about teaming up on the others until it came down to the three of them. Senshi stretched in his own corner while AJ took deep breaths in his own corner. Petey watched the crowd without much interest and Austin frowned slightly at the scene before him. Alex's music was playing. His video was playing. But... he was nowhere to be found. He worriedly sent a tiny glance over his shoulder at the others, hoping they noticed as well, but they hadn't. They were doing their own things. He shook his head and sighed. 

"Alex, what the fuck did you do this time?" He inwardly groaned as he strained to listen to Mike Tenay and Don West talk about Alex's where-abouts. The music cut and David brought the microphone back up to his mouth, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at him blankly. Austin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Oh, now they noticed something was wrong.

"It seems as though Alex Shelley has refused to show up tonight. Therefore, he forefits the match, turning it into a eight-man battle royal." He declared,causing the crowd to wildly cheer. Austin glared a few of the fans in disgust as he crossed his arms stiffly. Chris' face dropped and he looked around himself, making sure he wasn't being Punk'd or something. Alex hadn't shown up... His shock turned into anger and he whipped around and punched the top turnbuckle, nearly taking off Jay's head.

"That fuckin' screwbag." He muttered darkly, kicking the bottom turnbuckle for added effect. Jay raised an eyebrow at his friend while Sonjay stared at him unsurely. Austin watched the trio out of the corner of his eye, as well as Senshi, Petey, and AJ.

"You okay?" Jay asked uneasily as he put a hand on Chris' shoulder. Sonjay watched Chris nervously, waiting for him to flip out again. Chris shrugged Jay's hand off of his shoulder and turned to face AJ, Austin, Petey, and Senshi, who were all staring at him expectantly.

"I'm gonna kill him." He spat to himself as he stomped over to the ropes before climbing out and stalking up the ramp before anyone could think about what had just happened. He disappeared down the tunnel, leaving behind seven wrestlers, two TV announcers, one ring announcer, one ring valet, a live audience, and the entire world confused.

* * *

Alex's vision blurred and his head pounded, but he continued to grip onto the handle of the knife. He let out a small sob before allowing the knife to bite into his flesh once more, marking it's territory right below the other new scratch. He was going crazy with pain and emotions, but he forced himself not to care. He was better off this way and everyone knew it. He could've swore he had cut himself at least six more times within the last hour. He was pretty sure he wasn't getting any closer to death though. Just closer to the border between crazy and lonely. As he went to bring the knife down to his skin again, the door swinging open caused him to jump and drop it onto the ground beside him. 

"Alex." Alex blinked furiously at the blurry image of an out of breath Chris and numbly brought his knees to his chest. Tears trailed down his cheeks, causing him to bury his face in his knees. Chris shook his head and closed the door behind him quietly. "Oh Alex..." Chris sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He opened them again and went to take a step towards Alex, only to regret it. As if Chris had stepped on a switch, Alex's head bolted up and he nearly jumped to his feet, snatching the knife. Chris stopped walking and held his breath in his throat, watching Alex intently.

"Don't come any closer." The darker-haired man warned as he searched for something to threaten Chris with. He licked his dry lips and clutched onto the knife more fiercly. Without putting much thought into it, he brought the knife up to his throat, letting it rest just barely on his skin. "I swear I'll do it and you know it." He desperately cried out, sniffling a bit. Chris felt like his heart jumped into his throat at that. He was truely at a loss for words and his mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour.

"You can't kill yourself!" He shouted out before he could stop himself, "Please, don't." He begged, his own eyes brimming with tears. "You can't." Chris almost sounding like he was ready to sob himself. Alex stopped everything he was prepared to do and stared at Chris as if he were crazy. He went to lower the knife but stopped himself. His expression hardened and he now watched Chris like he was an enemy.

"Why. Because people'll miss me?" Alex snapped harshly, "Newsflash, _no one'll_ miss me. I'll just be one less idiot in this world, alright? So go back to your match and forget I ever existed." He rolled his eyes but stopped when he noticed something odd about Chris. Was he... crying?

"Alex... I'm standing here, _begging_ you. _Please_ don't do this. People _will_ miss you, but more importantly, _I'll _miss you. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you. That's the last thing I want. I know you hate me beyond words and that's hard enough. But I'd rather you hate me than be dead and gone forever. So please, rethink this. I _need_ you." Chris pleaded, hoping he didn't sound as pathetic as he thought he did. Alex's gaze softened and he felt his legs turn to jell-o. He lowered the knife slowly and his eyes filled up with tears again. Without thinking, he dropped the knife and fell to his knees as he let himself begin to cry all over again. Chris instantly rushed to his side and pulled him into a deep hug. Alex didn't seem to care at the moment, seeing as he buried his face in Chris' shoulder and sobbed. Chris only hugged Alex tighter and closed his eyes as tears came even stronger.

"Thank you..." He mumbled into Alex's ear, sighing in relief. He leaned his chin on Alex's shoulder while Alex sniffled quietly.

"What's wrong with me?" Alex whispered, sounding defenseless and about as vulnerable as vulnerable could get. Chris felt as if he stopped breathing at Alex's voice. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter and rubbed Alex's back comfortingly.

"Nothing's wrong with you, 'lex. You're just a little confused is all. But..." Chris trailed off as he sighed to ease himself, "I'm gonna get you help and you're gonna be fine. I promise."

* * *

A/N: I dunno, it was sad to me... This whole story's sad to me actually. Don't worry, there's still lots more to come for our little Alex. It's only the fourth chapter after all, haha. 


	5. Ready To Fall

A/N: Heyy, a new update, yay? Sorry about not replying to anyone, been a bit depressed. Depressed equals not talking to people which is bad, but makes me get more into this story and write more. So there's some common ground for that... even if it doesn't explain my lack of updating...

* * *

"Chris, what was that all about!?" Sonjay exclaimed as soon as Chris walked into his locker room after the show. Jay nodded in agreement while he continued to tie his shoe on one of the benches. Jackie merely watched them from her spot in front of the mirror as she applied lip gloss to her lips. Chris cleared his throat and stiffened. He really should've known that they would ask him about his actions, but it slipped his mind. 

"I... uh..." What could he say? They wouldn't believe him if he told them about Alex, would they? Sighing, he opened his mouth to speak, "I left my oven on. Sorry." He knew it sounded stupid, if not crazy, but it was the first thing he could think of. After all, he remembered back in eighth grade that it had gotten him out of kissing this girl he didn't like. She was upset and pissed, but at least they didn't kiss.

"You _what_?" Sonjay raised an eyebrow as he unsurely glanced around at the others. "So you're telling me that you left in the middle of a number one contenders match just because you left your oven on when you could've told SoCal or someone to turn it off for you?" He questioned in disbelief. Chris sighed.

"Uh... yeah." He nodded eagerly to make it seem more believable, as hard as that may be. Jackie stood up and dusted her mini skirt off slowly before running her fingers through her hair and approaching the two of them. Jay rolled his eyes and continued tying his other shoe. "But look, enough about my oven... I... I...I think we should leave Alex alone, at least for now." He suggested quietly, his heart beginning to race. What would they say for him even thinking that way?

"Come again?" It was now Jay's turn to talk as he stood up and walked over to the tree of them. "You _do_ know all of the crap he's pulled on us. Did you, like, trip and whack your little head on the ground when you ran out of the arena or something?" He blinked and looked at Jackie and Sonjay. Chris shook his head, knowing that they would've asked something like that.

"No, I'm fine and I know about all that stuff. But I don't know, he seems different, don't you think? We should just be nicer to him for a while, see what happens." Chris offered and frowned when they all looked at each other. Was he going insane?

"No thanks. As soon as we let out guard down around him, he's guaranteed to turn his back on us and betray us like always, so nope. No can do buddy." Sonjay put his hand on Chris' shoulder and gave him a grim smile. "Just don't let him get to you. He'll stop bugging and corrupting your mind soon enough." He explained before letting his hands fall to his sides. "But I gotta run, see ya'll later." With a quick wave, he spun on his heel and left the room. Jay frowned at Chris but crossed his arms.

"Yeah, me too." He then left in pursuit of Sonjay, leaving Jackie and Chris uneasily watching each other. Jackie chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she rocked back and forth. Chris went to stuff his hands in his jeans' pockets, but remembered he was still in his ring gear. He closed his eyes and groaned before letting his arms dangle at his sides.

"What's wrong?" Jackie asked, eyeing him up and down a few times. Chris licked his lips but shook his head at her as he walked over to his things, searching for something to wear out of here. Jackie followed him and leaned against the wall, not letting her gaze leave him. "Chris, you can tell me anything." And she was right. After Alex left the two alone on the balcony at Jeff's the other night, they really clicked.

"I really don't know what's wrong, to be honest..." He shrugged limply and grabbed a pair of jeans. Jackie stared at him blankly. "It's hard to explain..." She nodded slowly as she stuffed her hands in her skirt's pockets, chewing on her lip in thought. "Look, why don't you go catch up with Christy or someone, I need some time to think."

"Alright." Jackie gave him a soft smile before pushing herself up. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, "Call me when you can, especially if it's about Alex. I'm a bit concerned about him too..." With a quick peck on the cheek, she disappeared out of the room to leave Chris to himself.as he wanted. She couldn't be nearly as concerned as he was about Alex. She only saw the angry, lonely Alex, not the one Chris knew. He let out a tiny sigh. Deep down, Chris knew what was wrong. His best friend was cutting himself and he was the only one who cared...

* * *

"Hey!" Chris' perky voice chirped, causing all three men to stop walking into the building and turn. Kevin looked at Austin expectantly, as if he was the reason the Michigan native was chasing after them. Austin shrugged in response while Alex silently cursed. Chris eyed all of them for a moment or two before continuing, "Alex, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked, watching Alex slouch over slightly, his fists jammed into his pockets. Kevin looked a bit taken back but glanced over at Alex while Austin clearly looked surprised someone actually wanted to talk to Alex. Sighing deeply, Alex stepped towards Chris, causing the blue eyed man to grin. He then led Alex away from the other two, feeling as if he accomplished something amazing. 

"Make it quick, I'm busy." Alex snapped as he quietly glared at Chris. Chris raised an eyebrow at him unsurely but ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I think I may of found someone willing to help you." He began slowly, watching Alex's face for any reaction. Alex's eyes only stared back at him blankly, causing Chris to worry a little bit.

"Help me with what?" He asked harshly as his hair feel into his eyes, not allowing Chris to see them. Alex shivered as a cool wind rushed by, but he tried to brush it off as if it never came. Chris shook his head slowly at him.

"Your cutting problem..." He stated, lower this time. "I promised I would find someone to help you..." He continued on, his eyes not once leaving Alex's face. Alex's body stiffened and he glared daggers at Chris.

"I don't have a problem, so I don't need help." He responded darkly as he turned to leave, resisting the urge to jump onto Chris and stab him right then and there. Chris' face fell as he watched Alex begin to stroll away. Without putting thought into it, he reached out and grabbed Alex, whipping him around to face him.

"Alex! What's wrong with you?! Did yesterday mean anything to you!?" He screamed at the shorter man, letting his nails dig into Alex's arm as he gripped onto him heavily. Alex merely gazed down at Chris' hand before looking back at his face, hatred flashing through his once calm eyes.

"You took advantage of me!" He yelled back viscously, shoving Chris off of him. "I was in an emotional situation and you took advantage of me! I know you Chris, and the Chris I saw yesterday _wasn't_ you. You were pretending, putting on an act. You know as well as I do that you don't give a shit about me. You just want everyone to think you're the hero in this. You want to make yourself seem like the good guy in a situation you're not even involved in!" He spat, clenching his fists as if he were to punch Chris in the face.

"You have serious problems, and I'm not talking about you cutting. You think I don't care about you!? I went out of my way to stop you from killing yourself! I left my chance to become the number one contender after you fucked up and never arrived just so I could find you and make sure you were alright. This isn't about me being the good guy in anything! I actually care about you, alright!? And I'm putting myself in the situation this way you don't fuckin' die!" Chris exclaimed angrily. "But fine, y'know what!? Go kill yourself for all I care now. You can just fuckin' die and rot in hell if you're going to be so fuckin' tough about it. Oh look, I'm Alex Shelley and I don't giving a flying fuck about anyone but myself because I just want to cut my wrists and die alone because no one likes me. Boo hoo!" Chris pretended to sob as he narrowed his eyes at Alex, his anger getting the best of him now. "Grow up! Maybe no one gives a fuck about you because you're just so fuckin'-" He was cut off abruptly by a sharp punch to the face. He staggered back, grabbing his nose and staring at Alex from behind his hair. "What the fuck!?" He shouted out, still holding his nose. Alex huffed as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Asshole." He muttered, rubbing his knuckles and watching Chris. Pushing his hair out of his eyes, he brushed past Chris, heading back towards Austin and Kevin. Chris let go of his nose and reached out, grabbing Alex by his shoulder to turn him around. As Alex's face came into view, he balled his hand into a fist and let his arm jolt forward, connecting with Alex's face as hard as he could. Alex yelped out in pain and instantly reached for his nose as tears sparked behind his ears. Chris went to smirk triumphantly but winced at the pain surging through his hand instead. As Chris went to look at his hand, Alex jumped at him, tackling him to the sidewalk. "Fuck you!" He screamed, throwing wild punches at Chris' face, but mostly missing. Chris groaned and glared up at Alex, reaching up and grabbing the angry man's wrists. Alex cursed under his breath at the sudden pain while Chris rolled over so that he was on top of Alex. He pinned him down harshly.

"Now listen up," He began through gritted teeth, "You're going to lay there and listen to me and you're going to listen good." He ordered as he held Alex's wrists even tighter, causing Alex's eyes to water up at the pressure. "You need help. I'm here to help you, but you keep pushing me away. I know that you don't mean what you say and that you're scared, and that's why I'm not going to give up on you, alright? So you're going to come with me right now and we're going to meet up with that psychiatrist who's willing to listen to you."

"Make me." Alex childishly retorted as he spit at Chris' face. Chris blinked in shock before wiping the spit off with one hand while he held Alex's wrists with his other hand. The shocked look drained from his face and a look full of despise came in it's place.

"You little..." He growled as he balled his hand into a fist again, ready to strike Alex's face once more. As he went to punch him with all the might he could muster, something inside of him caused him to stop. He lowered his fist and stared at Alex, who looked as if he were a deer in headlights. His eyes widened and Chris could clearly see he wasn't angry and frustrated anymore. He was back to being the scared, upset, lonely man that he was earlier. Chris's expression softened and Alex felt a sob build up inside of himself. Chris could only stare back at Alex, not knowing what else to do. Their eyes met and Chris regretted ever punching Alex or flipping out on him. A heavy silence filled the air between the two of them and time seemed to have frozen. As Chris went to move off of Alex, he was shoved forward and onto his face, landing on Alex's face as well.

Moaning, Chris rolled onto his back, only to meet the gaze of Kevin. Austin was on his knees, checking on Alex, but also watching Chris. Kevin reached down and picked up Chris by his shirt collar, placing him on his feet.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded, watching Chris' face pale. Kevin watched Chris, scrutinizing every little thing he did under his gaze while Austin continued checking on Alex. The pain from being punched in the face came soaring back to Chris' nose, but he tried to ignore it. "Answer me."

"I don't know." Chris whimpered, his throat tightening up. Something behind his eyes pricked and he felt hot tears form, but he tried to push them back. Breaking down in front of someone like Kevin would do horrors to your reputation as a tough guy.

"Oh, so you think you're all big and tough ganging up on Alex, who hasn't done shit to you, when he's alone. But as soon as his friends come running, the big, bad you goes scampering off with your tail between your legs. Is that it?" Kevin raised an eyebrow as he watched Chris fidget nervously. He tightened his grip on Chris' shirt, drawing him closer to him. "If I _ever_ see you even lay a finger on Alex again, your ass is mine. Got that?"

"Well that should be pretty hard seeing as you're never around to care about Alex." Chris snapped at him, causing the taller man's face to fall. Chris unsurely swallowed as he tried his best to glare at Kevin. Austin almost fell over in shock as his jaw dropped almost to the floor. "Oh don't look so shocked 'Big Kev'. I'm not blind or stupid! You and Austin never think or care about Alex unless you need something. You don't even ask about him! I'm sure you don't even know a thing about him!" The dirty-blonde man screamed harshly, his eyes flickering dangerously. Kevin's face hardened as his grip tightened even more on Chris' shirt.

"Shut the fuck up! He's my best friend and it's none of your business how I treat my friends! I've been there for him more times than you've even _looked_ at him!" Kevin growled as he glared into Chris' equally angry eyes. Chris, letting his anger getting the best of him, let out a loud laugh at that.

"Are you kidding me!? Man, where the _hell_ have you been for the past few days, if not, weeks!?" Chris raised an eyebrow now as he placed his hands on his hips, "You don't even know what's wrong with Alex, do you?" Pushing Kevin's grip off of him, he took a few steps away before crossing his arms stiffly across his chest. "And by the way, I'm a better friend to him now than you ever were." Chris rolled his eyes as he turned his back from the three. With a small wave into nowhere, but directed towards Kevin mainly, he began to walk away, "See ya!" Kevin went to go after him but Austin leaped to his feet.

"Kev, don't worry about it. We can get him back later, when he doesn't expect it." He reassured the much bigger man. As Kevin stopped walking, Austin fell back to his knees beside Alex. Kevin glared a hole into Chris' back mentally with his eyes. Giving up, he shook his head slowly and dropped on the other side of Alex, eyeing his friend up and down.

"He alright?" He asked a hint of worry in his voice as he looked over Alex. Austin nodded as he dusted off the back of Alex's black t-shirt.

"Yeah, he just seems a little spooked is all. Doesn't look like Chris did too much to him. Good thing we arrived." The Wisconsin native offered a cheeky grin, but let it drop when Kevin didn't return it. Alex continued staring ahead of himself, his eyes still wide with fear. Kevin put a hand on Alex's back, only to realize he was shaking as well.

"Come on, we'd better get him out of here." He stated, giving a grim half-smile to Austin, who nodded again. They both helped Alex up before leading him back towards Kevin's car. Austin studied Alex's face as they walked before looking away and shaking his head when they reached the car. After making sure Alex was in, Kevin climbed into the driver's seat as Austin got in the passenger's seat.

The whole scene kept repeating in Alex's mind the entire time. He just couldn't understand it. Why had Chris stopped himself from hitting him? It wasn't like he could defend himself or anything, so he had nothing to worry about. There was no possible explanation as to why his face wasn't smashed in and why he wasn't laying on the sidewalk on the verge of death. As much as he thought he had it figured out, he didn't. Chris' actions were weird and made no sense, but Alex couldn't help but be a tad bit thankful for them.

* * *

Chris ran both of his hands through his hair as he walked. This wasn't making any sense to him. He shook his head. He tried being nice and caring to Alex and he flipped out on him. So he should hate him, right? He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. Alex obviously hated him, so why was it so hard for Chris to hate him back? It wasn't like it was everywhere he turned Alex was there... He went out of his way for the guy. He opened his eyes and his vision blurred as he fell to his knees. Even if he couldn't put his finger directly on the reason why he halted his actions, he thought he had some sort of explanation as to why he was so caring and persistent in keeping Alex alive. 

Chris Sabin was falling for Alex Shelley.

* * *

A/N: This is a uhm... wow... chapter. Haha. Things just keep getting better and better for Alex, huh? Please R&R! 


	6. Your Guardian Angel

A/N: Hmm... another update? Haha. Also, incase anyone wants to know or have some more music selection, there's a playlist on my profile for this story. It's rather lengthy, but it's definately useful to listen to as you read this story, that's what I do and it makes me get more into it. Ya never know... And sorryy about the delay of updating. End of the school year rush, y'know? Graduation into high school (Yay! Four more years until I'm able to move out of this hell of a town I live in), projects & tests, friends, and my head hasn't been on straight. Been spacing out A LOT lately... Haha.

* * *

_"But that's not fair." A young boy pouted, his dark hair falling over his sad brown eyes as he stared up at the other boy. The taller boy smirked down at him as he tossed the soccer ball up and down in the air, catching it with ease in one hand._

_"Guess what? Life's not fair." He retorted as he laughed to himself at the tiny boy before him. The much smaller kid's eyes filled with tears and his lower lip quivered as he stared at his soccer ball longingly. He slumped his shoulders, only causing his hair to hang in his view even more. As the other boy laughed even more at him, he narrowed his eyes and irritably wiped away his tears with his black wristband._

_"GIVE IT BACK YOU JERK!" He screamed suddenly, clenching his hands into tight fists as even more tears came to his eyes. He huffed and glared up at the boy angrily, hoping that he made some sort of impact on his morale, despite the huge size difference. The taller boy only stared back down at him blankly, not sure what to make of him anymore._

_"Uh... listen munchkin," The boy searched for the right words to say, "You're like, two feet tall and I'm basically four foot. You get balls, and I take them from you and you don't complain. If you do complain, I'm gonna have to kick your butt." He nodded expertly and placed the ball under his arm. At the smaller boy's look of disbelief, he shrugged, "I don't make the rules, kid. It's been like that for hundreds... no... thousands of years, and you wouldn't want to be the first to ruin it and for everyone to hate you, now would you?" At this, the smaller boy's eyes teared up, threatening to spill hot tears. He numbly shook his head as the taller boy poked him in the chest. "Exactly, now I'm going to walk away and you're going to go back home ball-less." With a quick nod, the tall boy turned on his heel and began strolling away down the sidewalk. The tiny boy's throat tightened up as he sniffled sadly._

_"Hey!" A different voice caused both boys to stop what they were doing and turn to look. "Pick on someone your own size!" The tiny dirty-blonde boy yelled as he crossed his arms stiffly across his gray t-shirt. The tall boy raised an eyebrow at him uneasily. Shaking his head, he took a step towards the other kid threateningly. "Uhm... not me. I'm tiny too." The boy squeaked as he shuffled his feet unsurely. _

_"Ugh, I don't have time for this." The tallest boy groaned as he sighed deeply. "Do you two really want this ball?" He asked hypothetically as he held it out in the air. Both boys quickly nodded, eyes eager with hope. "Go buy one at the store!" He snapped and continued on his way down the road. Both boys looked at each other. Hopeful blue eyes met with upset brown ones._

_"I'm sorry about your ball..." The dirty-blonde boy admitted sympathetically. He offered a grim smile while the dark haired boy shoved his hands into his jeans' pockets._

_"It's okay. I just really hate that guy. He's always taking my stuff." The brown eyed boy licked his lips and rocked back and forth angrily. The blue eyed boy nodded in agreement._

_"You're new here aren't you?" He peered at the shorter boy in interest as he cupped his chin in thought. The smaller boy nodded as a tiny smile appeared on his lips._

_"Yeah. I just moved from Detroit a couple days ago. My dad got a new job or somethin'." He nodded while the other boy grinned cheekily, causing him to blink._

_"Really!?" The taller boy excitedly asked as his grin continued to grow. At the other boy nodded once again, he continued, "I moved down here from there like... a week ago! Oh my gosh! That is too cool!" He jumped up and down happily, his dimples showing clearly. The shorter boy watched him hop up and down as if he were an alien._

_"Woah... That's kinda weird..." At seeing the taller boy stop jumping and his grin disappear, he quickly added, "But really awesome! I got lucky, huh!?" The other boy went back to happily jumping up and down, grabbing the other boy's wrists, forcing him to jump as well. Once they stopped jumping, the taller boy stuck out his hand._

_"I'm Chris Sabin!" He smiled, watching the other boy for a few minutes. The other boy stared at his hand for a bit before uneasily placing his hand in his._

_"Alex Shelley." He introduced himself, and almost screamed when Chris began to shake his hand quickly. Once he let go, Alex held his own hand and rubbed his wrist, staring at Chris oddly. Chris gave a thumbs up. Suddenly, his eyes widened and they seemed to dance as he stared at Alex, a gleam of hope in his eyes._

_"Areyouintocomicbooks!?" He asked in one breath at seemingly super speed. Alex's eyes widened, having understood that the first time Chris said it. He nodded repeatedly and his eyes lit up happily._

_"YES!" He exclaimed, a huge smile forming on his feautures. Chris grinned back for what seemed like the hundredth time in ten minutes._

_"Then come on, you have GOT to see my collection!" With that, Chris grabbed Alex's hand and raced off towards his house at top speed. Alex nearly tripped over his own feet but laughed alongside Chris as he was dragged away. _

Alex blinked and rubbed his forehead before shaking his head. "What the hell...?" He muttered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut as he pushed his head deeper into the cold pillow. He groaned and rolled onto his stomach, trying to ease himself back into sleep. But that dream kept coming prancing back into his mind. He didn't even know why it was unburying itself now of all times. He was over Chris and their stupid friendship. And it wasn't like they needed each other. Chris has Sonjay and everyone while he had Kevin and Austin. Nothing seemed out of place at all. It had been that way for as long as he could remember about this business now. The thing that bothered him the most was that it made no sense. He didn't even miss Chris... right?

* * *

_"B... But... It just makes no sense. I don't know what's going or who to believe or anything anymore..." Fifteen year old Alex sniffled as he hugged his knees, sitting on the edge of Chris' bed. Chris sat next to him, nodding his head sadly._

_"Yeah, I know how you feel. When my parents split, I didn't believe or want to hear anything. It's just so weird..." Chris sheepishly admitted as he wrapped his arm around Alex comfortingly. Alex nodded and let out a deep sigh._

_"Yeah..." He agreed quietly, "But my dad just got up and left without saying anything. You at least know where your parents are and can talk to them. I can't..." Alex stared out across Chris' bedroom, letting his thoughts wander about his situation. Chris frowned as he realized Alex was right. He had both of his parents, but Alex's dad abandoned him and his mother, who didn't even favor Alex to begin with. She was always calling him a pain in the ass, a waste of a life, worthless, anything that really downgraded his self-confidence, which explained his shyness and cautiousness when it came to new situations. Chris was pretty shocked Alex had stuck around all these years._

_"Chris," Alex's voice broke into the dirty-blonde teenager's thoughts, causing him to turn and look at him curiously, letting out a tiny noise from his throat to let him know he was listening,"Promise me we'll be best friends for ever, no matter what." Chris blinked at Alex slowly before letting a soft smile form on his face._

_"Yeah, for ever and ever, 'lex, I promise."_

Chris' body shivered as he rubbed his head blankly. He sighed and looked over to where Sonjay was loudly sleeping on the twin bed beside his. Jay was sprawled out on the couch with a bowl of popcorn next to his face with the TV still playing, but on mute. Chris frowned as he rubbed his eyes tiredly before glancing at the digital clock beside his pillow. _4:25 A.M._ stared back at him, as if taunting him for being up at this un-godly hour. In a swift motion, he threw the blankets off of himself and whipped his legs over the side of the bed. It seemed as though Alex wasn't the only one who needed help. Taking in a deep, tired, breath, he stood up, momentarily stretching out his back. He grabbed his cell phone from off the night table and flipped it open, punching in her number. Yawning, he walked over to the sliding glass doors, watching the night sky as he opened the door and headed onto the cold cement floor. He closed the door behind him and leaned against the railing, his mind wandering as he placed the tiny cellular device up to his ear and listening to it ring. Sure, Alex constantly being on his mind was one thing. But remembering things from so far in the past was another thing. Especially if it kept reoccuring in your dreams and not allowing you to sleep.

* * *

_"If he stays, I stay." An eighteen-year old blue eyed boy announced defiantly as he stiffly crossed his arms across his chest, glaring at the older woman indifferently. His smaller friend only stared at him, eyes wide from behind his brown hair and jaw about to drop. The woman eyed the pair suspiciously for a moment or two before shaking her head and running a hand through her brown dyed hair that was neatly tucked into a bun. She frowned after seeming to consider his proposal._

_"Fine. Then I guess I'll be seeing both of you next year. Donna," The woman turned to her secretary, who was busy typing something on the computer at her desk. She stopped at hearing her name and stared up at the woman eagerly, "Please take out Mr. Sabin's graduation diploma and certificate, as well as his permanent record, and place it alongside Mr. Shelley's." She instructed simply, pausing slightly to watch Chris stare back at her impatiently. Donna nodded hurriedly._

_"Yes, Principal DiPietro." Donna immediately turned towards the file cabinet, searching for the perspective files. Principal DiPietro sent one last icy look to Chris before sighing deeply and heading out of the room, heels clicking against the hard floor. Alex continued staring at Chris, eyes wider than ever. Chris slowly turned to look at him, his heart pounding in his chest. Had he just done what he think he did?_

_"You didn't have to do that you know." Alex mumbled quietly, even if his eyes told Chris otherwise. They were full of relief and joy, which made Chris offer a goofy grin to his best friend._

_"Yeah, I did." He shrugged and continued to smile, causing Alex's own lips to turn up into a smile, even if it wasn't as big as Chris'._

_"But you... you had your whole life planned out ahead of you. You were going to become the world's best soccer player and go to Harvard and move to Spain and everything." Alex's smile dissolved into a deep frown of sorrow as he realized he jeopardized his friend's entire future. Chris shook his head and pushed his hair out of his eyes._

_"Those are just goals and you know how I am. I would risk my life for you. You're my best friend, and I don't want to leave you behind." He replied, chewing on his lip. "You know me. I'm just like that. End of story." He shrugged and watched Alex stare at him before sighing. "I'm not changing my mind, so don't feel guilty." He gave another cheeky smile as he placed his hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex glanced at his hand before looking back at Chris' face. "Trust me on this, alright? You're my best friend, ever, and I would do anything for you." His face held seriousness as he studied Alex deeply. Alex drew a deep breath before nodding and smiling once again. "Plus, you would do the same for me." Alex's grin reappeared, only four times the size of last time as he nodded with ease._

_"You know it."_

"Man, you alright?" Kevin's voice drifted into Alex's mind, waving his hand before the younger man's face. Alex blinked slowly before nodding as if in a trance. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and glanced around him. He was at Jeff's, even if he didn't remember waking up. Blinking once more, he looked at Austin and Kevin, who were both watching him worriedly.

"Yeah... I'm fine." Alex responded after a long hesitation. He bit down on his lip before looking at the clock on the wall. "Wha... What are we doing here?" He asked cautiously, raising his eyebrow uneasily at the two. Austin's face fell and he stared at Kevin, who looked equally as shocked.

"You don't remember pulling a hissy fit and being forced into the car to come here? Or even getting a lap dance from SoCal and Leticia?" Kevin peered at Alex curiously, licking his lips in thought. Alex could only stare back at Kevin. _What_ happened?!

"Uhm... no. Not really..." He looked at Austin as if he would help him out before nervously letting his gaze rest on his shoes. Kevin cracked the tiniest of smiles and ran a hand through his hair.

"Good thing you don't remember SoCal and Leticia, seeing as that never happened." He chuckled dryly while Alex heaved a sigh of relief to himself. The last thing he really wanted was two whores all over him while he was out of it. Austin laughed and shook his head in disbelief as he leaned onto the bar counter, twirling his drink around in his glass. Kevin took Alex's beer can away from it's spot and closer to him. "Maybe I should take this away from you. You seem drunk enough on life itself." He suggested wisely. Alex nodded, only half listening. He didn't care about the beer really. He spun around on the bar stool and scanned the crowd quickly, silently praying that the nuisance he once considered his best friend wasn't here. Without saying anything else, he trailed off and out of Kevin and Austin's view before they could ask where he was going.

* * *

_"Stay strong, chin up and don't let the fans get to you." Chris instructed as he smiled at Alex, who looked ready to throw up. The shorter man clutched his stomach as he took a deep breath. "Man, calm down. You're pale as a ghost. You'll do great, trust me. If I can do it, so can you." He reassured him, letting his hand fall onto Alex's shoulder. Alex clamped his eyes shut and took another deep breath._

_"What if I faint before I get out there?" He choked out, dreading each minute that passed by. Chris gave a faint smile at that and held back a chuckle. He squeezed Alex's shoulder as if it would make him feel better._

_"Then I would pass out from laughing so hard when I try to help you back up and we'll both look like idiots as our sorry asses are carried out of there by paramedics." Chris joked with a tiny laugh. Alex glared up at him darkly. "Alright, sorry. I know I'm not helping, but you really need to chill. Just do what you've practiced the past few days. AJ's a pro at all of this, so he'll take care of you out there. If not, I'll go kick his ass." Chris' ears perked up hearing the announcer from the ring begin to announce Alex's name. "Now go before you end up being fashionably late. Good luck!" With that, he shoved his best friend up and into the tunnel, watching him walk away and into the view of thousands of fans for his first TNA match._

"Chris?" Jackie's voice faded in and out, "Chris...?" Chris mumbled something before staring at her oddly. Jackie blinked blankly as she felt his forehead with the back of her hand. "You alright?" She asked, concern clearly in her voice. All day long she had been worrying about him and Alex both ever since Chris called her up last night, telling her all about the weird dreams he had been having about the two's past. Chris nodded as he lightly pushed her hand away.

"Yeah, just thinking's all." He explained, offering a light smile as if it would buy her trust. She nodded slowly and pushed her bangs out of her eyes while he turned away from her and out to the crowd of people in the house once again. Did people ever get bored of coming to Jeff's for a giant party every night? Or was it just considered a huge night club? Either way, Chris eased himself out of his chair and dusted off his jeans as he caught a glimpse of familiar brown and blonde hair heading out of the crowd.

"You wanna talk about anything... in private?" The blonde woman asked quietly, staring at him through wide, worried eyes. Chris stuffed his hands into his jean's pockets and nodded as he bowed his head to the floor, his hair covering his awkward blue eyes. Jackie offered a tiny smile as she pushed herself up. She lightly touched his arm reassuringly. "Come on." As she went to walk away, Chris opened his mouth.

"Uhm... Jackie? Would you mind if one more person joined us?" He choked out as his heart began beating faster. Why was he even bothering? It wasn't like Alex would want to be there anyway... When Jackie nodded, he gave her a tiny nod that was just barely noticable.

"Lead the way." She looked out to the sea of people and back to him. Chris sighed deeply and sucked in his air, hoping for the best. This was one of his better ideas but Alex not agreeing was something he wasn't exactly counting on. With one last, long sigh, he strolled into the crowd with Jackie close behind him, his eyes searching for the only person who had been on his mind all day long.

* * *

"Alex...? You in there?" Chris knocked lightly on the wooden door before him as he leaned against it. When silence was his answer, he sighed and knocked again, "It's me, Chris." There still wasn't an answer. Frowning, he looked at Jackie before opening the door to the bedroom and poking his head in. He could just barely make out the silhouette of a person sitting at the foot of the bed on the ground. He closed the door behind him and reached for the light switch on the wall, flicking it on. The room instantly lit up, and Chris was thankful for that. He held his breath as he edged closer to where the person was sitting before sitting next to it. "Alex...?" 

"What the fuck could you possibly want now?" Alex snapped, eyes blazing as he clenched his fists and glared at Chris, ignoring Jackie as if she wasn't there. Chris could only stare at him in shock. That wasn't exactly the 'hello' he was expecting. Jackie chewed on her lip nervously as she stood frozen in place. Swallowing the rest of his pride, Chris opened his mouth.

"I... I just wanted to say sorry... about yesterday. It wasn't right of me to flip out on you like that and I feel horrible about it. So... sorry." He frowned, not really sure if that came out the way he wanted it to. It sounded a lot more thought out in his head than when he said it. Alex only continued glaring at him. Chris' sorrow blue eyes met with his frustrated brown ones.

"I don't give a fuck about whether you're sorry or not. Like I've said, sorry doesn't mean anything. What happened happened and you can't change that. What? Would you like Hitler to come and say sorry to all of the Jews he tortured and let that solve everything? Or would you like Japan to say sorry for blowing up Pearl Harbor and for the U.S. and Japan to become best friend? Sorry doesn't solve anything. It just shows that you were weak enough to cave into emotions and you felt bad about something that you can't change." Alex rationally spat out, his heavy gaze not once leaving Chris' eyes. The dirty-blonde man tried as hard as he could to find words to spit back out, but there was none. He didn't know what to say next. Alex huffed and stood up with a slight roll of his eyes. He could never find any peace and quiet anymore.

"So what exactly were you doing in here?" Chris managed to ask as he jolted to his feet, hoping it would stop Alex from walking away and leaving this conversation floating in the air like nothing. Chris was right and his hopes began to rise drastically. Alex did indeed stop walking, but the look Chris was expecting was far from what was on his face. His glare was as menacing as ever and his hands were clenched into such tight fists his knuckles turned white.

"It's none of your business." He declared in a low growl, only egging Chris on. Chris took a nervous step towards Alex, stuffing his hands into his pockets casually.

"Why? Were you planning on cutting again? Is that it? You're at a party surrounded by a bunch of happy people and yet you still leave to be by yourself and try and shorten your life." Chris stopped to shake his head, "You always complain about no one wanting you around, and here you are, at a huge party with basically everyone you could possibly want, and you're still all upset. What do you want!? We're not exactly mind readers!" Chris practically exclaimed as he almost let out a laugh at how stupid Alex's actions were. The shorter man's eyes narrowed to slits and his eyes burned as tears threatened to form, but he ignored it. He also ignored the fact that Chris kind of had a point.

"Chris..." Jackie felt her throat run dry and tears filled her own eyes. Was Chris _trying_ to make Alex to be forever socially inept? He was going too far with this. Didn't he want to _help_ Alex?

"What I want is for everyone to mind their own god damn business!" He shouted, his legs feeling numb. Chris rolled his eyes, almost like he was teasing Alex. He continued approaching him, watching joyously as he backed up in response. The pair continued getting closer and closer to the wall, unknown to Alex until his back his the stiff surface. He slightly turned his head to see the wall staring back at him emptily. He swallowed nervously as he turned back to face Chris, who had both arms on either side of Alex's head.

"Just leave him alone." Jackie almost sounding like she was whining. She stomped her foot in frustration. She hated being treated like she was invisible. With a slight groan, she crossed her arms and frowned at the two men.

"I know just as well as you do that that's not true. You don't want everyone to ignore you, so let me ask you this once again. What do you want?" Chris slowly asked, staring into Alex's eyes and hoping this was working in caving him in. Alex felt a shiver run up his spine and he drummed his fingers on the wall, not knowing what else to do with them. He unwillingly stared back at Chris, not sure what to make of what the other man was trying to do. "Alex, what do you really want?" Chris asked once again as he raised an eyebrow. Why was Alex making this so damn difficult? Alex looked at the floor for a while, as if contemplating his thoughts. He quietly looked back at Chris, allowing Chris to see his teary eyes and quivering lip.

"I... I just... I just want..." Alex stuttered as a sob climbed into his tight throat. He tightly closed his eyes, only allowing the tears to come even faster. He opened his mouth to speak, but felt his voice go hoarse. "I... I just want someone to care." He admitted in a shy whisper, almost like he was embarrassed he was admitting this. The tears became too heavy for his eyes and they raced down his cheeks as he let out a tiny sob, feeling his legs go weak. His legs gave out from beneath him and he allowed himself to free fall to the ground. Chris instantly reached out and grabbed him around the waist, easing him to the soft ground. Alex drew his knees to his chest and buried his face in them, sobs emitting from him as his body shook. Chris quickly glanced around the room as he felt his heart tighten. This was what he wanted, right? He wanted Alex to break down again so that he could prove that he was right, didn't he?

"A... Alex... I'm sorry." Chris sighed deeply and placed his hand on Alex's arm as he kneeled before him, sincerity clearly in his voice and eyes. Alex only continued to cry as if Chris were nowhere near the room. Chewing on his lip, his heart gained even more speed as he allowed his fingers to lightly touch Alex's hair. The darker haired man mumbled something that was muffled from his knees and sobs, but kept his head firmly planted down. Chris sighed again, this time less noticeably. He let his fingers slide down the side of Alex's cheek until they found his chin. He lightly lifted Alex's chin as he used his other hand to brush the wet hair out of his eyes. Alex could only stare back at him, not knowing what else he could do in this current situation. "I care." The dirty-blonde man quietly let out as he stared back into Alex's eyes. "I always have." Alex sniffled a bit and tried to turn his head, but Chris firmly held his chin in place.

"You're lying. You just want me to trust you so you can break another one of your stupid promises." He tried his hardest to sound hateful, but it came out sounding more along the lines of desperate for an excuse as to why he wasn't spilling out his heart to Chris, the man he once considered his best friend. Chris' eyes drained of all hope as they filled up with regret and a hint of confusion.

"What promise?" He asked, voice just barely audible as he frantically searched his mind for any recent promises he had made to the mysterious man. Alex's eyes slightly narrowed but they soon widened a bit as more tears came, threatening to follow in the other's footsteps.

"You... You told me that we would be best friends forever. And... you said you would do anything for me. You promised." Alex's voice cracked as he spoke. He held back another sob, trying to force it back down. Chris could only stare at him in confusion. When had they talked about things along the line of friendship? Noticing the look, Alex continued, "Back when we lived in Michigan, when we were younger, we promised we would be best friends and would do anything for each other... and you broke it." Alex trailed off as his mouth ran dry. His heart pounded in his chest and his head joined in suit with it. Chris blinked slowly as he tried to remember back then. He had enough trouble remembering what he wore last night though. He fished through each and every memory that popped up until he finally found it. He could remember it so clearly now. Him. Alex. Best friends...

"Oh my God, Alex. I'm so sorry." He felt his own voice crack as he reached out and tightly wrapped his arms around Alex. Alex tried and failed to pull away from Chris' caring grasp. He was too upset and numb to do anything actually. Instead, he just sat there, allowing himself to be hugged. "This time, I swear, things'll be different. I really do care about you, Alex. And it kills me to see you hurt like this..." Chris mumbled as he buried his face in Alex's shoulder. Alex sniffled quietly and finally pulled away from Chris, lightly crossing his arms across his stomach as he leaned his back against the wall. His red eyes watched Chris.

"Why...? Like you said, I turned into a jerk. I'm a back-stabbing, two-faced, cold-hearted moron. Why would you care about me? And don't give me that crap about us once being best friends. That's not a good enough reason. If it were true, you would've stuck by me no matter what." Alex whispered as his eyes welled up once again. He closed them tightly until the tears were eased back down. He opened his eyes and bit down on his lip, his heart beat deafening him as he awaited Chris' truthful answer. "Please... I need to know the truth of why you're so eager to stay with me..." Chris' throat dried up as he stared at Alex. He really wasn't expecting that kind of question to come out of Alex, at least not yet.

"B... Because..." Chris' eyed darted around nervously as he tried to think up the faintest of excuses. He stuttered a few more times before settling on one. As he went to open his mouth, Alex's last sentence popped back into his mind. _"Please..."? Is he... begging me?_ Chris uneasily thought as he frowned. He only stared at Alex a bit longer, debating on whether or not telling his white lie. He drew a deep breath as his heart pounded in his chest even faster than Alex's ever hoped to go. "I... I... I guess I stuck around with you because..." Chris trailed off as his voice became weak. Jackie stared at them, her own eyes tearing up at this. Chris didn't even know why he had stuck around to be perfectly honest. There was no way he was going to admit something to Alex that he wasn't even sure was true. Jackie's mind raced as she stared at them, not sure what to do or say. Chris opened his mouth, hoping his voice had returned.

"I love you." Alex stared at Chris and Chris stared back at him while Jackie watched both of them, hoping they would go back to their normal selves. Slowly, both men turned to stare at the only woman in the room. Neither of them had uttered those three faithful words and the only other person in the room was Jackie... As they both stared at her, she swallowed nervously. "Y - Yeah..." She nodded, a bit too quickly. "Chris stuck around because I love you. He wants to look out for you for me..." She looked at Chris, hoping he would play along. She knew it was wrong to play with someone who was as emtional as Alex's feelings, but she felt like this was one of the only reasonable explanations. Chris's eyes were wide and he barely blinked while Alex raised an eyebrow, heart thumping. He blinked and pushed Chris away from him, standing up.

"I have to go." He muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he trudged over to the door. Jackie watched him, biting down on her lip in regret. Chris stood up and slowly walked over to Jackie. He licked his dry lips and crossed his arms as the pair watched Alex leave.

"I'm sorry..." The blonde woman whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself as to comfort herself. Chris shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her in a tiny hug.

"No... It's alright. Thanks. You really helped out." He smiled at her as the two broke apart. Jackie let a small smile appear on her face. "I'm gonna go meet up with Sonjay and Jay and see if they're ready to head back yet. You need a ride?" He offered, watching her uneasily. Jackie shook her head.

"Nah, I'm gonna catch a ride with Christy." She sighed and slumped her shoulders, "You don't think he bought that... right?" She peered at him, guilt building up inside of her. She never intended for things to go as far as that, or for them to even go far at all. Chris headed to the door, Jackie trailing behind slowly.

"I don't know... I really don't know."

* * *

A/N: Awhh. Poor Alex is being lied to yet again... Can anyone be truthful to him? Haha. Wow this was a long chapter. It didn't even seem that long when I was typing it... but whatever. Haha. Please R&R!! 


	7. Never Give Up

A/N: It seems like forever since I've updated, hopefully it really hasn't, haha. Things have been up in the air lately and I've been crazed, just ask anyone who's talked to me lately. Sigh. Hopefully this chapter's good enough for you lovely people, haha.

* * *

"Man, come on! You've been in there all day long and I really gotta get ready!" Austin groaned and he pounded his fist on the door to the bathroom. Kevin stood beside him, eyebrow raised as he watched in amusement at his friend's antics. Austin kicked the door in frustration and yelped in pain as he nearly fell to the floor, clutching his throbbing foot. "For Christ's sake Alex." He muttered, rubbing his foot sorely. Kevin shook his head. 

"Ever hear of a shoe, smart ass?" He taunted, a sly smirk appearing on his face. Austin narrowed his eyes at the much taller man before falling against the door, letting his head rest on it. Kevin pushed himself up from against the wall and frowned at Austin.

"I need to get in there. Jeff told me that Christy was going to be at the movies tonight and this could be my last chance to prove to her that I'm not a complete asshole." Austin pouted as he pictured Christy seeing a movie with another man. "ALEX! Get your ass out here now!" He screamed, banging on the door with both of his fists now. Kevin took a deep breath and shook his head.

"That's not gonna get you anywhere." He said innocently, eyeing Austin up and down for a bit. The Wisconsin native huffed as he gave one last punch to the door that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He crossed his arms stiffly across his chest and stared at Kevin expectantly.

"Well I don't see you doing anything helpful." He sneered, not letting his gaze leave Kevin's face. As Kevin let out a tiny chuckle, Austin's anger only grew worse. "Don't laugh at me!"

"Sorry!" Kevin apologized as he tried his best to cover his smile, "But Alex is Alex. Knocking and screaming at him won't do anything besides make him stay in there even longer." He instructed wisely, glancing at the door slowly.

"Well what do you suggest we do, wise ass?" Austin snapped, throwing himself against the wall angrily. He watched Kevin approach the door that led out to the hallway, snatching his card key from the table beside the door.

"My advice, find Petey or someone who'll let you use their bathroom. Alex isn't coming out for a while, I can assure you that much. Kick his ass when you get back from stalking Christy." Kevin shrugged as he opened the door and glanced at Austin. The other man stared at Kevin for a while before looking back at the bathroom door longingly. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kevin cut him off, "Or you could stand out here all night long and scream and abuse the door and miss Christy... Your choice." Kevin offered a cheeky grin at his own intelligence. "I'm gonna be at Jeff's for the night. Tell me how your 'date' goes, or if it even goes at all." With a final wave, Kevin headed down the hallway, his hands stuffed in his pockets and head held high. Austin growled before sending one last kick to the door. Ignoring the pain surging through his foot, he stalked out of the room in search of Petey.

* * *

"Chris...? You alright?" Jackie waved her hand in front of the young man's face, her charms on her silver charm bracelet dangling together as the two sat inside Chris' locker room. Frowning at her friend, she pulled her hair over her shoulder and continued to peer at him curiously. Chris blinked a few times, trying to gain a clear view once again. As the haze wore off, he rubbed his forehead with a deep sigh. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." He muttered with a slight nod, staring at the ground as he cupped his chin in his hand, a deep sigh emerging from him. Jackie continued frowning at him as she pulled her mini skirt down lower on her thighs. She rested her head in her palm, eyeing Chris up and down for a few more moments.

"You sure? You've been spacing out a lot lately and I'm getting really worried about you..." She admitted, staring at him with hope in her eyes. Chris let his own eyes wander up to her face, a half-hearted smile forming on his lips. Jackie offered one in return. "Anything you want to talk about without Alex around?" She played with the charms on her bracelet nervously at hearing herself say his name again. She honestly didn't know why she was getting all worked up about this whole Alex thing. She tried so many times to convince herself that telling him she loved him wasn't as bad as she made it out to be. Plenty of people lied every day about loving another person. For heaven's sake, she even went out with some guy back in high school and told him that she loved him when, quite honestly, she hated the guy's guts. It was her turn to sigh as she shook her head at her thoughts.

"Yeah, I kinda do..." Chris' light mumble almost went unheard by Jackie, seeing as her head was swarmed with so many other thoughts and she was busy mentally screaming at herself to shut up. At realizing Chris had spoken, she blinked away the cluelessness and raked her hand through her hair as she nodded. Chris studied her, knowing there was something a bit off about her today, but shrugged it off. He could probably guess what was bothering her anyway.

"Go ahead, talk." She urged him on, twisting her body to face him, sincerity showing up in her eyes as she crammed all of her irritable thoughts into the back of her mind, saving them for later on. It could quite possibly be another sleepless night, just like last night. Her thoughts had always come running back as she tried to sleep, so it was nothing new. Chris opened and closed his mouth a few times, thinking over his words. He honestly had no idea where to begin, or how to even form the incoherent sentences that were in his chaotic mind. His heart build up speed as he tried to reason with himself. "Chris..." Jackie whispered, reaching over and letting her hand rest on his jean-clad knee. His blue eyes stared at her French manicured hand, feeling the warmth of her hand through his pants.

"I... I... I think I'm gay..." Chris' eyes widened as he spoke those words, his heart beat deafening him. Jackie stared at him, her face stoic and her eyes staring blankly at him. Part of her had a feeling he was, but there was this other part of her that kept telling herself, "No, he can't be. It isn't possible." After a while, Jackie finally blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but Chris quickly cut her off. "I'm just not sure yet, y'know? Like, it's not like I walk around thinking about how hot other guys are or stare longingly at every guy that passes me. It's just... around Alex, I feel different. It's hard to explain..." He sighed deeply, letting his head fall into his hands as he leaned back towards the wall with a silent groan. Jackie quietly removed her hand from his knee and instead wrapped her arms around him in some sort of comforting hug.

"Yeah, I kinda figured something was up with you two." She replied as he hugged her back, burying his face in her shoulder. She rubbed his back as she chewed on her lip, unsure of what to say next. "You want to try and explain it a bit? See if it gets anything off your chest?" Chris nodded numbly as he reluctantly let go of her, sitting back up. Jackie's hands returned to her lap, peering at him and waiting for him to continue. Chris drew a sharp breath as he tried his best to not stumble over his words.

"I know I haven't exactly been the best friend ever to Alex the past few years, so I can't really blame him for hating me as much as he does. But I feel like there's a part of him that remembers how we used to be and wants us to become friends again, but he just won't let his guard down around me again because I hurt him so much. I want him to let me in again and I want us to be on good terms. But at the same time, I can't help but hate him for making this whole ordeal so difficult. At first, I figured, 'Hey, we used to be so close and if I show that I really care about him, he'll let me help'. But obviously, that back fired on me and all I do is make him cry and I hate myself for doing that. It kills me to see him so upset and vulnerable, but that's the only way that I know how to break down that damn force field of his. This whole thing frustrates me, but I can't just stand aside and let it happen because even as cruel and sarcastic and harsh as he is to me, I can't help but keep falling for him. I try talking myself out of it and I tell myself things like 'You're too good for him, he doesn't deserve you' and 'Dude, you're into chicks, even some guy that's known you for your entire life can't change that' and 'He's hopeless, just give up already'. But I can't, Jackie, I just can't. There's something about him that makes me so drawn to him, even if I hate him for all he's been saying and doing. I just... feel so screwed up." Chris let his words sink into both him and Jackie. He could barely understand where all of that came from. He knew for a fact he could trust the blonde woman because she was just that type of person. You got a good vibe from her and could just tell that you could spill your heart out to her, and she wouldn't tell another living soul. It would not only devastate him if she told someone else about all of this, but it would also devastate her. She seemed to be the one that relied on commitments and being honest and trustworthy.

"Uhm... wow." Was all Jackie could managed to let out as she finished thinking over what the dirty-blonde man had told her. She really had no idea what to say, or do. It seemed as if it were a lose-lose situation for Chris, and she felt bad for him. With an uneasy sigh, she went to speak again, "I think you should keep at it, just don't give up, even if you want to, you can't. Alex needs a friend the most right now and if you leave now after all of the trust you've built up, he may never be able to recover. Sure he may act like he doesn't care about you, but he really does. He's just grown so used to being used and abused and ignored that he's built a wall around himself and he doesn't know when or how to let it down. He's used to just sitting there and letting things happen instead of reaching out to others for help, or even speaking up for himself. He needs you, Chris, so don't doubt him or yourself, alright? You need each other and if you have the patience and understanding and enough determination, he'll let you in and you'll be able to fall back on him and vice-versa. Just give it time and let him get used to things, it's all new to him. Kevin and Austin haven't exactly been the best to him either, so you being as caring as you may scare him, but it's better than nothing. Just don't give up on him and hope for the best because I can tell that he wants to let you in, but like I said, he doesn't know how so he resorts to what he knows best, anger, insults, and hatred." As Jackie's floating through the air, Chris nodded, trying his hardest to grasp onto what she was saying. Did she ever hear of the quote "Easier said than done"?

"Thanks, Jackie, really." He sighed, pushing his hair back with a tiny grim smile. Jackie smiled back at him reassuringly as she returned her hand to his knee. "I'd better go. Jay's expecting me." Without saying anything else, Chris pushed himself up as his thoughts crashed around in his mind. Jackie nodded, chewing on her lip quietly for a few minutes.

"Chris," She suddenly called out, causing him to stop in his tracks. He slowly turned to face her blankly while she pushed her hair behind her ear, "Your secret's safe with me and this won't change anything between us. I'm not as close-minded and stuck up as most people make me out to be." She explained, watching his unsure expression change to tiny grin. He nodded towards her.

"Thanks." As Jackie nodded back, he left the room in high hopes, praying that the blonde woman was right. It only had to be a matter of time until Alex decided he wanted Chris to help, right?

* * *

"Where are you going?" The sudden voice caught Austin off-guard and he nearly jumped out of skin. He blinked his blue eyes and turned his head to eye up Alex, who was tucked away on the couch behind Kevin's lap top. He glanced around the room quietly, checking to see if anyone else was in the room. Did Alex just talk? Blinking away his shock, he shrugged and sat down beside him on the couch, placing his jacket in his lap. 

"The movies, gotta find Christy before some other guy does." With an uneasy chuckle, Austin watched Alex nod slowly. He frowned at seeing the expressionless face of his friend. He glanced at the clock on the TV and silently groaned. He was running later than he ever hoped for. Petey wasn't in his room and AJ wasn't exactly being friendly today. He was stuck coming back here, only to find Alex out of the bathroom. The two sat in silence for a bit more, Alex staring at his computer screen to make himself seem busy while Austin stared at the wall in thought. "You wanna come?" The Wisconsin native suddenly asked, frowning slightly at Alex.

"Nah, I'm fine." Alex shook his head, although the last thing he really wanted was to be alone. Being alone meant he had time to think over everything that's happened, and he wanted to avoid thinking about it. Jackie couldn't of had actually told him the truth. There had to be some sort of other explanation for Chris' actions. He just couldn't put his finger on it though.

"You sure? I wouldn't mind, and plus, it would make it seem less obvious I was stalking Christy if I showed up with my best friend." Austin grew a sly smirk as he thought over his intelligence. He felt proud and it showed. Alex only continued shaking his head, staring at the computer screen as if it were the most entertaining thing in the world. At Alex's silence, he peeked his head over the top of the lap top, putting on his best pout. "Please?" He begged, staring at Alex through desperate eyes. "I really like her and I want her to at least consider me... So please?" He continued trying to guilt Alex into this, eyes getting more and more hopeful. Alex bit down on his bottom lip, deciding in his head whether or not he should go. With a regretable sigh, he nodded, closing the laptop and placing it on the coffee table infront of him.

"Fine, I'll go." He rubbed his forehead and pushed his hair out of his eyes, watching Austin almost squealed as he threw his arms around Alex happily.

"Thank you!" He grinned as he jumped to his feet, putting his jacket on quickly. He practically ran to the spot on the floor where Alex's black leather jacket was laying in a heap and snatched it, tossing it at Alex. "C'mon, we're late as it is!" He then proceeded to run out the door, barely waiting for Alex.

* * *

Austin grinned as he plopped down into a seat, his soda firmly placed in his hand. Alex watched him uneasily as he sat next to him, closer to the aisle. "I swear, next time you want me to do something for you, I'll do it without hesitation. I owe you." Austin was saying as he made himself comfortable and took a sip of his Coke. Alex nodded, only half listening. He was busy staring wide-eyed at something beyond Austin's head. Austin, feeling his gaze, blinked and raised his eyebrow at Alex blankly. "What?" He asked uneasily, nervousness beginning to crawl into his spine as Alex continued staring. He slowly turned his head to the side, casually sneaking a peak over to where Alex's gaze was headed. His mouth ran dry and his heart picked up speed as his own eyes widened. Christy was sitting right next to him, chatting with a blonde woman Austin recognized as Jackie. Now both men were gawking in utter shock at the two women beside them. 

"...and so I was like 'No shit he insulted me' and then Gail's all-" Christy stopped herself from continuing on with her story as she caught Jackie's questionable gaze. With a tiny blink, the red head turned her head only to meet the stares of the two men, neither of them quite certain if they would ever be able to close their eyes or jaws. "Uhm, is there a problem?" Christy asked, raising her eyebrow angrily at the pair. Alex was first to look away and a look of frustration covered his once shell-shocked face. Austin slowly, but surely, regained his composure as he nodded, turning his head to the giant screen before him.

"Does it hurt?" He asked suddenly, his head whipping back to Christy. Alex blinked as he looked at Austin in disbelief. _What_ was he trying to do here? Christy continued raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms across her chest while Jackie stared at Alex, her heart pounding. She should have never agreed to let Christy drag her to the movies.

"Excuse me?" Christy spat, disgust forming up inside her. Was Austin really that desperate that he would keep crawling back to her, even if she kept turning him down? There would be no way in hell she would go out with that man.

"Does it hurt?" Austin repeated himself, his eyes dancing as if he were in a dream. Christy clenched her jaw, eyeing him up and down.

"Does _what_ hurt?" She asked, spitting out the words as if they were a bad taste in her mouth. Austin swallowed nervously before opening his mouth again.

"Being as hot as you are." Austin responded calmly with a cheery grin as if to reassure himself. Christy felt her jaw begin the drop, but instead she turned her head, unable to find words to yell back. Everywhere she turned he was there and everywhere they bumped into each other, he managed to piss her off. Austin sighed deeply in defeat as he slouched down in his seat, looking at Alex hopefully. "Told you she was different than the other girls." He muttered to his friend, praying Christy wasn't listening to the pair. Alex shrugged, barely paying any attention to Austin and his love problems. He was too busy getting lost in the movie screen, his thoughts racing through his mind as his nerves bundling up. He had come here to forget his problems, and instead, they followed him. But things could really be far worse, actually. After all, it wasn't like Chris was-

"Chris, what the fuck is your problem!?" Alex whipped around towards the voice, eyes returning to their wide selves as he searched for where it had come from. His heart pounded in his chest but he never spotted the familiar sight of dirty-blonde hair and gleaming blue eyes. He sighed deeply but quickly regretted turning around. A man sat before him, his own dirty-blonde hair just about as long as Chris' and he had a familiar looking gray hoodie. His eyes wide, Alex reached out and grabbed the person's shoulder, only to come face to face with some man he had never seen in his life. With a muttered apology, Alex rubbed his eyes, hunching over himself as he squeezed his eyes shut. This all had to be a bad dream. He was imagining things and his mind was playing tricks on him. All he needed was to wake up and everything would be all better, right?

"I'm going to the bathroom." Alex mumbled as he stood up without waiting for Austin's reply. He tried as quietly as he could to push past the people beside him and he practically ran up the aisle. He needed to get out of here.

Jackie frowned, her eyes tracing Alex's every move. She quickly whispered to Christy that she was going to make a quick phone call before standing up and almost tripping over the people she squeezed past. Licking her lips, she tried he best to quietly walk up the aisle in pursuit of Alex.

* * *

A/N: Yay, another chapter down. Heart to heart moment between Jackie and Chris, I found it had to be needed, y'know? Please R&R! 


	8. Let It Die

A/N: Ughh, ew. Stupid new stuff on this site pisses me off. Now I have only like... 28 days to post a chapter for everything, or actually save them on wordpad where they disappear. Ew. Ihatenewrules. I can never be happy, huh?

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Alex squeezed his eyes shut, taking in a deep breath as he tried his hardest to clear his mind. He allowed his hair to freely fall in his face as he continued to blindly walk out of the movie theatre. There was no way he would be able to stay there. Not with Jackie there, and certainly not with his entire mind paranoid about Chris. He blocked out the voices of other people that he passed, as well as the odd stares he felt hovering over him. Pushing the door open, he rubbed his temples, opening his eyes to stare at the passing concrete. Where would he go though? He was pretty sure he knew his way back home, but did he really want to go there? With a tiny shake of his head, he frowned, thinking over his possible choices. He was getting pretty sick of Jeff's, the locker rooms were probably all locked, and it wasn't like anyone would welcome him willingly into their own homes. He sighed in defeat, stopping to lean against a nearby building, his frown still planted firmly on his face. 

He huffed suddenly with a roll of his eyes. He crossed his arms stiffly across his chest, watching people pass by, none sparing him a passing glance. He had a feeling in his gut that he should've seen this coming. He narrowed his eyes at the ground, anger over-coming him. He would never be feeling like this if Chris hadn't forgotten about his promise. Alex groaned, pushing all of those thoughts into the back of his mind. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with Chris. All he really wanted was for things to go back to normal. Back to when Chris was too busy soaking in all of the glory of being a serious competitor to notice that Alex was stuck in the shadows of everybody else.

"You okay?" Alex almost ignored the tiny whisper, and even when he glanced over towards the voice, he barely believed that the person was talking to him. He shrugged lightly and stared into the concerned brown eyes of Jackie uneasily. The blonde woman took a step towards him, letting her hand gently fall onto his shoulder. Alex shrugged her away, turning his body from her. "Alex, I'm here to help you, I swear." She stated quietly, pleading him mentally.

"If you want to help, just leave." He spat, his anger still clearly visible. Someone had been hanging out with Chris for far too long. Jackie sighed, pushing her hair behind her ear and letting her hands fall to her sides. She bit down on her bottom lip, sighing deeply.

"I know you don't exactly favor me, and I'm fine with that, I don't even really know you. I'm just worried about you, alright? Don't you even want to talk about anything?" She pleaded, her eyes wide with concern. Alex sent her a tiny glance out of curiosity. He jammed his hands into his pockets after studying her for a while before opening his mouth.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly one of the best people to talk to, alright? I'm the joke of the locker room, so I'll spare you the humiliation. Just walk away and we'll both pretend this never happened, deal?" He stared into her eyes once again and he almost regretted it. Her eyes filled up with hot tears at his words. She felt her heart lunge and she only wanted to reach out and pull him into a tight hug. With a tiny shake of her head and a hopeful smile, she blinked back the tears, even if both of them could tell they were still there.

"Alex, don't listen to those assholes. You have Chris, Austin, Kevin and me and that's all you really need. We're here for you, trust me. You just have to believe in what we're saying. None of us would purposely hurt you, ever." She explained, resisting the urge to place her hand on his shoulder and act as if she were talking to Chris again. Alex bowed his head to the ground, letting her words sink into his mind. A moment of silence lingered in the air between the two and after what seemed like hours, the silence was instantly killed by a sharp laugh coming from Alex. Jackie snapped her head back in his direction, having been staring at the concrete beneath her heeled feet. He continued laughing as a smile that looked almost along the lines of crazy adorned his face. Even Jackie had to admit he looked pretty cute when he smiled, even if it wasn't a true smile. She stopped herself from saying anything as her thoughts backtracked in her head. Did she just say Alex was cute? No. She couldn't be thinking like this. But it really wasn't that bad, right? She was only saying he was cute, not that she liked him or anything... She mentally groaned. Who was she fooling? She practically admitted it to him hours ago, even if no one was really sure whether she meant it or not. She just happened to be at the right place at the right time with the right words. Plus, there was always Chris. He wanted Alex and Jackie knew that no matter what happened, Alex wouldn't give a damn about her and her feelings for him. Chris had worked so hard to get to where he was and she wasn't about to let herself ruin it. Taking in a deep breath, she allowed her puzzeled expression to finally direct itself towards Alex and his insane laughter.

"What?" She asked uneasily, watching him grin at her, almost as if he was losing all of his stable mentality. She frowned deeply, staring at him unsurely, not entirely certain on what she should be doing while he was acting like this.

"You're such a liar. Really. You actually think Kevin and Austin and Chris and you all care about me!? Ha. Give me a break, Jessica." He waved her off with a roll of his lit-up brown eyes. Jackie went to correct him on her name, but remained silent, pretty sure it would be better if she let him continue on with his rant. "Kevin, he's always too drunk to care whether I'm alive or not while Austin's constantly wrapped up in that Christy chick. Chris' just... ugh. He's just himself and just confuses the hell out of me. And then you... you shun me and sit there with that Christy whore all the time and then out of the blue, you act like you care. What? Did you and Chris get together and decide that you'll both play with my mind and pretend to care? Or is something in the water?" Alex continued grinning, staring down at her while the lights reflected in his shining eyes. Jackie stared at herself through her reflection in his chocolate-brown eyes, or at least what she could see through his hair. She honestly had no idea what to do or say anymore.

"I really don't know anything about Kevin or Austin to be honest with you, but I do know for a fact that me and Chris _do_ care. Alex, I wouldn't lie to you, especially about something this serious. We barely know each other, and yet, I'm standing here in the middle of the dark on some lonely sidewalk begging you to tell me what's wrong. Please. Neither me nor Chris want to see you like this." Jackie averted her eyes back to the ground as Alex's grin dissolved into an expressionless form. Another silence filled the air. Instead of insane laughter, Alex's calm voice broke it this time.

"You're just like Chris, only less annoying." He admitted, letting a tiny sigh escape his lips. Jackie blinked, unsure whether to take that as a compliment or not. "All I really want right now is to be left alone so I can think, alright? Because all you and Chris have been doing to me lately is making me more and more stressed out." Jackie felt her throat tighten up at his words, though she couldn't really explain why. Alex stiffly crossed his arms across his chest, glaring at the ground in front of him.

"I'm sorry..." The blonde admitted, her shoulders slumping. She bit down on her lip, regret building up inside of her. Now she could tell why Chris wanted to quit so easily and got so worked up everyday. Pushing her hair out of her face, she continued on, "It's just that Chris really does care for you and I only want him to be happy. He wants you to be the Alex he remembers. The one from way back before all of this. He knows you remember how you two were and he knows that you're trying your hardest to shove him away, but both of us have a feeling that you want him to be there for you. So why is it so hard? You're always complaining that no one cares and this man goes out of his way for you and all you do is scream at him and put him down. Why won't you let him in?" Jackie asked, allowing her eyes to look at Alex's. The Michigan native felt his eyes tear up at her words, but he ignored it and tried blinking them back to no avail. It was just too hard. The tiny blonde had a point and he knew it. He reluctantly looked into her brown eyes that begged him to open up. He was out of come backs and explanations and insults. With a small shrug, he thought over what she was asking him.

"I... I... I guess I'm scared of loving him." Even his words confused him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and stared at Jackie expectantly, wondering if she would say anything. When she remained quiet, he pushed his hair back and opened his mouth, "I don't even know why. I hate everything about that guy. Everything he says or does, what he wears, how he looks, even his voice I hate. So why do I love him?" He continued staring at her through glossy eyes, silently praying she would use some of her wisdom on him. He couldn't even begin to explain why he was expressing himself to her. Knowing her, she would probably go and tell Christy, who would tell the entire locker room. _Stupid whore,_ Alex thought bitterly as memories of the red head came rushing back. Jackie felt tears spring to her own eyes. It wasn't like she was disappointed in the fact that she stood no chance against Chris, it was that she actually felt more proud than hurt. She was proud of Alex for willingly opening up to practically a complete stranger, who's name just happened to be her's.

"Alex, you can't help who you fall in love with, I out of all people should know that. But I think that you're falling for Chris because he's one of the only people who's truly determined to help you. He's been there for you since you two were in school. Yeah, you guys had a _huge_ rough patch, but you're over that. And I understand that you're scared of loving him, who isn't scared of falling in love? I remember I was terrified on my first date with my first boyfriend. Love scares people and it's alright, it's what makes it interesting. You just need to open up to him and let your friendship rekindle. Take it slow, alright?" Jackie could barely suppress the grin beginning to tug at the corners of her lips. Right now she felt like jumping up and down, squeezing Alex until his adorable brown eyes popped out of his adorable head, and kissing him as passionately as she could muster before running off to excitedly tell Chris about what she had discovered. Alex nodded along to her words, watching a lone person walk across the street.

"Thanks, really. Just... don't tell anybody about this. I still need time to think, and I don't want more people bugging me, okay?" He mumbled, his eyes pleading as he studied her face. Jackie licked her lips and bit down fiercely on her bottom lip, hoping her grin was still unreadable.

"Yeah, no problem. You can trust me." Jackie placed her hand on his shoulder subconsciously, sincerity clearly in her eyes. Alex let a tiny smile form on his face and Jackie felt her heat melt. At realizing her hand was still on his shoulder, she removed it before she could let it trail his arm. "So... is there anything else you want to talk about?" She questioned curiously, studying him. Alex frowned as he remembered a few more things, not entirely sure if he wanted to share them or not. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them and stuffing his hands into his pockets, deciding it was now or never.

"Uhm... What you said the other day... about you... loving me... was that true?" He asked, watching her hold her breath as he spoke. Jackie's heart beat picked up speed and it began to deafen her. She rubbed her head irritably and let out the breath she was holding in.

"Eh..." What could she say? If she told him now, would it ruin everything Chris had built up with him? And what would happen to what Alex had just admitted to her? But if she didn't say anything, it meant that she would never have a chance with him, ever. Would she really choose the man that she assumed she loved or the man that considered one of her best friends? But if she said no, would her and Chris' excuse need a reason as to why they said it? Jackie felt a huge headache come on. This was all too confusing and frustrating for her to think about right now. Finally, she settled on her decision. "I don't know anymore. I just have a lot of stuff to think about, y'know?" She shrugged emptily and felt his gaze on her, which sent shivers up her spine. Alex nodded curtly, not really caring whether or not she did or didn't. He just really wanted to know the truth about this whole confusing situation.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go. Tell Austin I'll talk to him later." With a tiny wave, he turned on his heel and headed off down the sidewalk. Jackie muttered a 'bye' and watched him leave, her heart wanting to reach out to him. He didn't seem too hurt by her answer, which she considered to be a good thing, even if it had hurt her. With a tiny sigh, she turned back towards the movie theatre after she could no longer see his retreating figure. Things were so much easier before she had noticed Alex.

* * *

Chris jumped at the sudden knock on his door. He rubbed his tired eyes and glanced at the clock under the TV. He sighed at seeing it was eleven P.M. He wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with anybody right now, but when the knocking continued on, he stood up. Placing his book on the coffee table in front of him, he trudge to the door, hoping it wasn't anybody expecting a chat. He unlocked the door and opened it, his jaw nearly dropping at the person before him. 

"Uhm... Hi?" He felt his stomach drop and his heart picked up speed. Kevin smirked at seeing Chris' expression and offered a taunting wave of hello.

"Hey, Chris." He grinned slyly, making himself welcome by walking through the door past Chris and plopping on his couch. Chris barely had time to blink before Kevin had his feet up on the coffee table and was leaning back in the couch.

"Uhm... Kevin, is there a problem?" The dirty-blonde man raised an eyebrow uneasily as he closed the door, slowly making his way to Kevin. He sat on the side farthest away from the bigger man, not sure whether or not he would randomly attack him or not.

"Actually, yeah, there is a problem." Kevin eyed Chris for a few moments, a frown planted on his face. Chris furrowed his eyebrows together, his mouth running dry as he anticipated what was to come from Kevin's mouth next. "You know our little friend Alex, right?" Chris opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Instead, he only nodded. "Yeah, there's a bit of situation that needs attention before things get out of hand." Kevin continued on, sitting up straight with both feet firmly planted on the ground. Chris continued staring at Kevin, dreading each word that was spilling from his mouth. "Y'see, I've been noticing a bit of an odd behavior of Alex's as of lately. Ever since you've been hanging around him, he's been more... quiet, upset, reluctant to go places, moody, and more tired. Don't deny it either, me and Austin already have all the facts needed against you. You think you're helping Alex? You're _not_. So if you back off now, we'll all pretend this never happened and you can go off to win more championships without having to worry about a suicidal guy by your side. Yeah, I know about the whole thing, so close your mouth, buddy. However, if you don't back off, you'll have to learn to get used to seeing me a _lot_ more often. You know why? Because as Alex's best friend, I have a right to know what's best for him and what's not, got it?" Chris's eyes widened and his throat tightened as Kevin watched him, clearly amused. "Hopefully I won't be seeing you around, kiddo." With a wink, he stood up and strode to the door, leaving Chris to think over what he had said.

* * *

Austin cleared his throat uneasily as he looked around himself. He bit down on his lip before fixing his cap, eyeing Christy out of the corner of his eye. The spunky red-head was glowering at the giant screen, impatiently waiting for Jackie to return. Austin could've sworn that Alex and his supposed girlfriend were off sticking their tongues down each other's throat somewhere. _Poor Christy..._ He thought, something resembling a sincere look appearing on his face as he continued to study the woman beside him. _She's missing her comfort blanket of a friend too much to notice that-_

"I know you're watching me." Christy snapped harshly, causing Austin to leave his thoughts alone. He blinked blankly, frowning. "It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize some horny bastard is staring at them, especially when they look like this." She pointed at her body, glaring into Austin's blue eyes. The man clenched his jaw at her words, but kept his thoughts to himself. The two went back to watching the movie, neither sure what to say next. Austin was out of pick-up lines and compliments while Christy had plenty more insults to hurl at him and his huge ego. They both sat in silence, each trying to get into the movie, even if they had no idea what was going on. Austin let out a tiny yawn and stretched out his arms, letting his right one land comfortably around Christy's shoulders. She barely turned to glance at his hand before rolling her eyes and groaning.

"Something wrong?" Austin asked innocently, trying to strike up a conversation. Christy took in a deep breath before narrowing her blue eyes at him and drawing her hand back and slapping him as hard as she could across the face. Austin gasped, clutching his face in pain. "What was that for!?" He exclaimed, his face contorting into a pained expression. Christy huffed, snatching her purse and standing up.

"Jackass." She growled before stomping off and out of the theatre, leaving Austin alone. Only the people around him continued staring. He glared at a few of them before pushing himself up and numbly following in her footsteps, hoping to catch her before she had left.

* * *

"Chris!" Jackie called, pounding on Chris' door hurriedly. "Chris, it's me, Jackie!" She chewed on her lip nervously, hoping she wasn't being too loud. She had sent a text to Christy to tell her she had a headache and was heading home, so that took care of one problem. As soon as she was about to open her mouth again, the door opened and Chris stood there, his eyes red and his hair disheveled. "Are you okay?" She asked, worry overcoming her as she made herself welcomed by rushing inside. Chris shrugged, slamming the door behind himself and following her to the couch. "Tell me what happened." She sat next to him on the couch, her hand falling onto his knee as she stared at him, awaiting his explanation. 

"Nothing's wrong, honestly." He shook his head, deciding he would sleep on Kevin's words before talking to Jackie about it. "But... what's wrong with you? It's a little late to come dropping by my place just to say hi..." He pointed out, trying to put on his best smile. Jackie sighed, pushing her hair back. She didn't really know why she wanted to come here anyway. Was it really fair to Alex is she spilled his secret to Chris? The last person he wanted to know? And it wouldn't actually be fair if she told Chris how she felt for Alex. So there was no point in her random visit.

"Uhm... Christy has my key and she's out with Austin, so I'm locked out and I need a place to crash, at least for a bit." She lied, hoping it was believable enough. Chris nodded as he yawned tiredly. He wasn't exactly used to staying up this late and talking.

"Yeah, you can stay here. Jay and Sonjay are out clubbing tonight, they won't be back until way later. You can take Jay's bed if you want. If not, the couch is pretty comfortable too." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck as another yawn escaped his lips. Jackie smiled, grateful at his offer.

"Thanks, really." The blonde's eyelids felt heavy and her lips parted for a small yawn. "You're the best." She gave him a quick hug before taking off her heels, which were killing her feet, and plopping onto Jay's bed. She ran her hand through her hair and quickly crawled under the blankets, not caring whether or not she was comfortable in the clothes she was wearing. Chris wouldn't care, either. The man turned off the light and blindly made his way to his bed, no words emitting from him. When she heard him get in his bed and finally stop moving, Jackie closed her eyes, trying to push all of her thoughts to the back of her mind. Meanwhile, Chris kept his thoughts in the front of his mind, thinking them over and trying to comprehend them.

* * *

A/N: Yay, another chapter down! Poor Chris... Poor Jackie? Kinda poor Austin. Haha. Please R&R! 


	9. Arms Of Sorrow

A/N: Sorry about not replying once again... -pout- Been pretty busy and haven't exactly had time to talk much and just been stressed out and my family's dragging me on vacation until Thursday. Also, I'm pretty convinced that I've been living under a rock until last night. How long has Austin been released?! He was suspended too!? Chris Benoit and his family's dead. Kevin's managing Alex and Chris!? Wow. So much in so little time... -sigh- I honestly can't believe Chris is gone, he just... wow. And then Austin... at least he's going to ROH and isn't being left somewhere. Poor guy. Finally some good news about my three favorite wrestlers. Learning about Kevin wanting to manage the Murder City Machine Guns really made my dad, so at least there's some hope left in this world. Blahh. But thankss for the reviews! I love you guyss a tonn!

* * *

"Hey man, you missed out on a _great_ party last night!" These words were soon followed by a loud laugh coming from Sonjay. Jay nodded eagerly from behind as the pair walked through Chris' door, both instantly spotting Chris curled up in his bed, hair covering his closed eyes. Jay sighed deeply, plopping down on the edge of the bed, shaking his friend awake. 

"Come on, wake up!" He groaned, looking at Sonjay for help. The Indian man ran his hand through his hair and hovered over Chris, eyeing him for a while as if he were searching for something. "CHRIS!" Jay suddenly yelled at not hearing any help from Sonjay.

"I'm up, I'm up." Chris muttered, stifling a yawn as he turned over so that his back was to his friends. Jay smiled triumphantly while Sonjay let himself lay back at the foot of the bed, staring at the ceiling. "What do you want?" The Michigan man grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes tiredly. He yawned before stretching out his back, blinking as he uneasily watched Sonjay stand up straight from his bent-over position.

"Uh... we live here too, smart ass." At Jay's smirk, Chris rolled his eyes. "But uhm, we have another reason for being here..." The New Jersey native paused momentarily, thinking over his words cautiously. Chris stared at him expectantly, not entirely sure if he wanted him to continue. "Cornette kind of wants to talk to you and that fucking backstabber, Alex. He said something about last week's performance..." He wrapped up, watching Chris' face twist down into a deep frown, eyes wide with worry.

"Hey, don't worry. I don't think you'll get suspended or fired or anything, just a boring lecture. Like, remember that time when I tripped going down the ramp way back in September and I ended up running out of the arena because I landed on SoCal? I only got a lecture about learning to tie my boots and I'm still here." Sonjay grinned as if it would reassure Chris, which it didn't. Not by a long shot. Jay glared at Sonjay quietly, he, too, noticed that it wasn't really helping the situation.

"Ignore him." Jay waved Sonjay off, which received a mock glare of insult. "But he wants you two in his office, like... now." Chris sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Without saying anything else, he hopped out of his bed, pushing past Jay and to his closet. His friends both peered at him, neither sure what to say next. Chris snatched a pair of jeans and a gray T-shirt before stomping off to the bathroom. "That was awkward..." Jay stated, blinking as he licked his lips, staring at the bathroom door. Sonjay gave a tiny nod in agreement. While both men stared at the door, Jackie continued gazing at the wall, her thoughts racing through her mind as she tried to remain as silent as she could be. Something good had to come out of this meeting, right?

* * *

"I don't know what's going on around here, but I intend for it to stop immediately." Jim Cornette spat, obviously angry as he eyed Chris and Alex up and down slowly. Chris swallowed the lump in his throat as he continued sitting up straight in his seat, trying his hardest to try act like he wasn't fearing the worst. Alex just calmly stared at the wall, his arms crossed across his stomach as he tapped his foot impatiently, leaning back in his own seat besides Chris. Jerry Lynn stared at the duo, frowning as he thought about what had happened at the last taping. It was definitely odd and out of the ordinary. "Chris, you're a good kid, so I have no idea what's been going on with you lately or what last week was all about. As for you Alex, I know you mean well, I really do, but this is just too much. You've been no-showing left and right, you're snapping at everybody who talks to you, and I've been getting tremendous amounts of complaints about your behavior. So this match is your last chance to redeem yourself, both of you. Chris, I don't want you ending up like that kid over there. Tonight you'll both be in a number-one contender's match, where obviously, the winner gets a title shot. I really don't care which one of you wins this match, just as long as you two clean up your act, alright? If anything goes wrong to ruin my show again, you're both suspended... indefinitely." As Jim finished saying what he was saying, Chris could swear he was going to go deaf from his heart beat or at least pass out. His heart jumped into his throat as his stomach dropped, his eyes wider than he could've believed they could go. _Suspended indefinitely?_ He really didn't like the sound of that. He swallowed nervously, not sure whether or not he should nod. Not so surprisingly, Alex was the complete opposite. He continued sitting back, a stoic expression adorning his face as if he hadn't heard a word Jim had uttered. "Do we have an understanding, gentlemen?" 

"Yes, sir." Chris mumbled as he nodded, letting his gaze fall on the ground, worry building up inside of him as he repeated his boss' words over and over in his head.

"Alex?" Jim focused his attention on the quieter man, his eyebrow slightly raised. Jerry also watched Alex, a frown still planted firmly on his face. Chris didn't need to look in Alex's way to know he wasn't even thinking this over. "Alex!" Jim snapped, trying to obtain the dark eyed man's full attention.

"Yes, sir." Alex muttered, still not looking at all worried or interested in this conversation. There wasn't even a hint of apprehension in his voice. Chris blinked, not entirely sure if he was hearing the tone of Alex's voice correctly. But at the looks Alex was receiving from Jim and Jerry, he was sure he was hearing correctly.

"You're both free to go. Don't forget, this is your last chance." Jim warned, staring into each man's eyes, hoping to strike fear into their minds about their futures if they didn't oblige. Chris stood up quickly, his legs feeling like jell-o. He practically raced to the door, throwing it open as he took in a deep breath of air. This all had to be a horrible nightmare. There was no way he was on the verge of being suspended indefinitely because of... Alex. There was no way in bloody hell Alex would actually willingly show up tonight for their match, Chris could almost guarantee that. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew it was true, he was screwed. Alex slowly strode out of Jim's office, his fists jammed into his jeans' pockets and his head bowed to the floor, his hair sweeping over his unreadable eyes. Chris studied him as he walked past, not sure what was going through his mind at this moment. Alex rounded the corner and out of Chris' gaze.

"There goes my career." Chris muttered, running his hand through his hair with a deep sigh of defeat. How the hell was this fair to him?

* * *

"Hey, Chris!" Jackie waved, putting her water bottle down on the table before her and twisting around to face him. Chris muttered something to Jay and Sonjay before walking up to the blonde, allowing himself to sit beside her inside the catering room. He quickly took a sip of her water without thinking about it while she stared at him blankly. "Uhm... alrighty then..." After watching him put her water back down, she opened her mouth again, "How was the meeting earlier?" 

"You heard about that?" Chris muttered, his eyebrow shooting up in question. Jackie nodded, chewing on her lip as she studied her water bottle, which was more than halfway empty now.

"Yeah... I was in the room when Sonjay and Jay announced it, y'know..." She pointed out with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. Chris sighed and leaned back, staring at the plain white ceiling in thought. "Everything okay?" She asked, a frown appearing on her lips while she crossed her legs curiously.

"Not really... Me and Alex have a match tonight... against each other for the number one contender's spot and well..." Chris stopped himself, not sure if he even believed it yet, "If we don't put on the show Cornette's expecting... we get suspended indefinitely..." He watched her face drop, eyes wide and jaw ready to hit the floor. "Exactly. I might as well pack my bags now because there's no way Alex is going to care whether or not he gets suspended, or if I do." Chris let his head fall into his hands with a groan, squeezing his eyes shut. Jackie pursed her lips in thought, trying to figure out a reasonable solution to Chris' problem.

"Hey, you never know, he might surprise you..." She shrugged, placing her hand on his shoulder. He bit on his lip and shook his head.

"Jackie, I highly doubt that. If I know Alex like I do, he won't show up." Chris looked at her, hurt clearly in his eyes. Jackie frowned slightly before pulling Chris into a hug, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Just give him a chance." She whispered, "Like I said, he may surprise you and he actually does care, I can tell you that much." She stood up after giving Chris a light peck on the cheek, "I gotta meet up with Christy, we're-" She was cut off as Chris grabbed her hand, staring up at her with a bit of hope flickering through his blue eyes as a smile threatened to form.

"How do you know?" He asked, keeping his light grip on her warm hand. Jackie blinked blankly, trying to remember what she had said earlier. She stared at his hand in thought.

"Know about what?" She asked, hoping he would help her out a little bit here. Chris stood up, easily towering over her, but not in the horrifying kind of way. Jackie looking up to his face with a frown.

"Know that he cares... How would you know?" He asked, making his question clearer this time as he searched her face for some sort of explanation. Jackie let a soft smile appear as she shook her head lightly, glancing at the door. She looked back up at him, licking her lips with her smile still intact, making Chris more than anxious.

"Let's just say, I have my sources." With a knowing wink, she politely slipped out of his grasp, heading towards the door while her answer lingered in the air. Chris smiled as he watched her leave as he stood there, thinking over her reason. If he wasn't already certain he had a thing for Alex, he would've asked her out right then and there.

* * *

Alex drew a deep as he stretched out his neck, frowning at the door before him. It was now or never. Either he knocked on that door and went over how tonight would go with Chris, or he would just turn his back and leave, costing both his and Chris' jobs. As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew it wasn't fair to Chris. He dusted off his black pants and stared at his ring boots that he had spent an hour tying. It wasn't that he was stupid and didn't know how to tie, it was just that he would lace them, then decide he didn't want to wrestle and he would unlace them, then he would feel bad and lace them up again, then unlace them and so on. And those were just his boots. His wrist tape had taken about a half hour because he didn't know how to place it over his cuts, instead he just left his wristbands on and put the tape on over it, hoping no one would notice. Then his pants took even longer, being an hour and a half, because he kept putting them on and taking them off and getting distracted. 

With a small sigh, he bit down on his lip, concentrating on whether or not to raise his fist to knock and pretty much make his return to TNA. He nervously let out a breath of air and let his fist rise. As he went to lower it against the hard door, the sound of voices inside stopped him. It wasn't like he wasn't expecting people to be inside, it was just that he had heard a name come from their mouths. His name. He paused, lingering around as he glanced up and down the hallway, praying no one was watching him. Making sure it was all clear, he pressed his ear up to the door, trying his best to hear what was being said about him.

"It's a nightmare, really. Chris is too nice. That little bastard Shelley better show up tonight, because if he doesn't I'm going to seriously kill him." Alex instantly recognized the voice as Sonjay's, and by the sound of it, he was furious and Chris wasn't in the room.

"I'll help ya." The other voice -- obviously Jay's -- admitted proudly, though he sounded equally as mad, "Alex is such a lost cause and he has no purpose being in TNA other than stabbing everybody in the back and filming everyone's personal lives. I'm surprised he even knows how to turn a video camera on!" Both men laughed at that and Sonjay muttered a "good one".

"I mean, really, wrestlers are supposed to be heroes and they're supposed to be role models for people, but I don't even think a blind, deaf, and mute person would consider Alex a hero. I bet Jerry gave Alex a shot at the title because he felt bad, and yet, Alex managed to fuck that up too." The two shared another laugh, "Something needs to be done about that guy. He's hurting everybody around him and he doesn't seem to care about it at all. Just fire the guy and put him in a mental hospital, no one'll miss that little psycho." That was enough for Alex to hear. As tears sprang into his eyes, he turned away from the door, his throat tightening up and a knot forming in it. He went to turn back down the hall towards his locker room only to come face to face with Chris, who stood there, staring at him with a dumb-founded look.

"Alex?" He questioned blankly, going to reach out to touch his arm, "Are you okay?" He asked and nearly jumped when Alex pulled away. Without saying anything else, Alex bolted down the hallway, not once looking back. Chris stared after him before looking at his, Sonjay, and Jay's locker room door. Realization hit him and he swung open the door, marching into the room with anger raging over him, even if he had no proof of what had happened. "What the _hell_ did you say to Alex?" He demanded, hands firmly planted on hips as he glared at his friends. Both of them stood there, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Huh? Alex?" Jay raised an eyebrow as he looked ay Sonjay nervously. Had Chris overheard? Sonjay swallowed his pride as he finished putting on his wrist tape, eyeing Chris uneasily.

"Yeah, Alex. The poor guy that you two emotionally scared for life because you two are so thick headed to realize you're hurting him, that Alex!" The Michigan native snapped, eyes blazing as venom dripped from his words dangerously. Jay's jaw nearly dropped while Sonjay glared at Chris out of offense.

"Yo, calm down. We said _nothing_ to him in, like, forever, alright!?" Sonjay spat with a roll of his eyes, taking a daring step towards the man he once considered one of his best friends, "Maybe you're just too much of a softy to remember all of the shit he's pulled on us over the years! Remember when good 'ole Kevin returned? If I remember correctly, Alex dropped you like a bad habit and left you for him. They turned on you when you least expected it. Then, to make things even worse, he jumped you from behind just so that Kevin could win a fuckin' match. He's done all of this crap to you and it keeps building up and building up and you're just knocking it all away because you realize he's getting what he deserves. Chris, believe us, we're your best friends and we would never lie to you. Alex is a cheap, worthless, pathetic excuse of a human being who uses people to get places. He two-faces everybody. Soon enough, he'll turn on Kevin and I'm sure Kevin won't go all soft on Alex after he's through with him. Please. You're just too in over your head to notice what everybody around you can see. He's using you. You're the most caring of all the guys in the locker room and he took advantage of that. Chris, please don't choose him over us." The Indian man pleaded, his eyes growing sincere and heartfelt. Jay nodded along with what Sonjay said, a deep sigh emerging from him. Chris stared at the two as he thought about their point. Right now, he felt like screaming and locking himself in a room somewhere because all of this stress was getting to him. He was hearing three different stories and he really couldn't tell which one was the truth and which was a lie. Jackie was too nice to lie about anything. Alex was just emotional and didn't know what he was saying anymore. And Sonjay and Jay... they knew exactly what they were talking about, but they were incredibly rude at times and only saw one side to a conflict and not both.

"Fuck off." Chris snapped suddenly, done with his obsessive thinking for now. He had a throbbing migrane and these two weren't making things any easier. "I'll believe what I want to believe and until the time comes where he turns on me, I'm taking Alex's side. Say what you want because I don't give a fuckin' damn what the hell you two do anymore." With that said, Chris turned on heel, stalking out the room in search of Alex, hoping he was still in the building.

* * *

Alex felt his lip tremble as he leaned his head back against the wall, his knees drawn to his chest. Tears stained his cheeks and his head was pounding, but he ignored it. Jay and Sonjay were right, they hit the nail right on the head about him. He was useless and had no purpose in not only the business, but also life. He never succeeded in anything he did, besides turning on people and humiliating them. _I'm the kind of person I hate... I'm my own worse enemy..._ He thought as even more tears formed, blinding him. He let out a sob and buried his face in his knees, his sobs racking his body. This whole thing sucked and it kept getting worse and worse. Another sob built up inside of him as his thoughts continued racing around, none really making much sense to him. 

The door opened and Chris peeked his head in, frowning as he watched Alex sit there, completely oblivious to the fact the door wasn't any longer closed. Chris quietly shut the door behind him, continuing to study Alex, unsure of what he should say or do. It was silent, except for Alex's heavy breathing every now and then. Chris held his own breath in his throat, careful so as if not to startle Alex. He slowly took small steps towards him, crouching beside him. Alex numbly turned his head in Chris' direction and Chris could see the pain behind his dark eyes. There was so much hurt and emotion that Chris felt his heart lurch inside his chest. Alex's eyes filled with even more tears as Chris pulled him into a tight hug, resting his chin on his shoulder. Alex buried his face in Chris' own shoulder, hugging him back as he sniffled.

"It's gonna be alright..." The dirty-blonde man mumbled comfortingly, rubbing Alex's back as he tried his best to stop him from crying. He didn't mind his shirt being stained or having to reassure him, he just hated the fact that he was always being put down and that he always had a reason to cry. Alex sniffled a bit more but stared at the wall behind Chris, taking in a deep shaky breath. Both men sat there in silence, neither wanting to speak up or do anything.

Once Alex seemed to have calmed down enough, Chris opened his mouth again, only to be cut off, "I'm sorry." The brown-eyed man mumbled, his voice wavering. Chris blinked, pulling away from Alex as he stared at him. He held him away at arms-length, staring into his eyes blankly.

"For what?" He questioned, his heart beat picking up speed at all the possible reasons as to why Alex would be sorry. Alex stared at the floor beneath him and looked back at Chris' blue eyes.

"For wasting your time. We all know you're getting nowhere with me and you're risking losing your job for me. Everybody can see it, even I. I've never met someone as incredibly... _stupid_ as you before..." He admitted, going back to staring at the floor as he let his hands rest in his lap. Chris blinked again. Did Alex just call him _stupid_!? "I talked to Jackie yesterday... and... she really helped me to think about things and understand stuff. But there's one thing I still don't believe, as honest and trustworthy as that woman may seem..." Alex paused as he searched Chris' face for a reaction. Chris nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Why do you stick around?" As Alex spoke those words, Chris felt his heart beat race even faster than before. He stared at Alex as a million explanations came rushing towards him, all eager to be let out into the air. "I want the truth this time... No 'we used to be friends', no Jackie, no other people, just me and you." Chris chewed on his lip as he closed his eyes. He knew this time would come, when Alex would no longer buy his stupid excuses. But he couldn't bear himself to tell him the truth. After talking to Jackie and thinking all night long about it, he realized what he had assumed was true. He loved Alex. But was he supposed to admit that to the confused man? Or was he supposed to just simply keep lying about every little thing and keep his feelings a secret. Once again, the time was now or never.

After reassuring himself that no one else was in the room, he leaned closer to Alex, his face lingering for a few moments only a few inches apart from Alex's. Neither said anything. Chris knew he couldn't turn back now that he had gone this far, but did he really want to go forward? He answered his own question and slowly closed his eyes, heart beating over a hundred miles per hour. Alex couldn't hear anything either, seeing as his own heart was deafening him. He allowed Chris to close the gap between them and he closed his eyes. Chris wrapped his arms around Alex as he pressed his lips against his. Alex couldn't decide on what to do next. Should he kiss him back? Or should he pull away? Both sides of him screamed different things at him. One part wanted to kiss him right back and act as if they were the only two on the face of the planet. But the other side of him wanted to pull away and get the hell out of here. Jackie was absolutely right. Love scared people, mostly him in general. When Chris realized Alex wasn't doing anything, he pulled back, embarrassment creeping onto his face as he let his arms fall to his sides. He stared at the cold ground, feeling as if he were an idiot.

"Sorry..." He muttered. Alex couldn't even nod. He just sat there, staring at Chris in complete dumb-founded shock. Chris felt a pinge of guilt in his heart. He may of screwed up the only chance he had left to prove that he wanted him and Alex to work. They just had to work. He sighed deeply and as much as he didn't want to, he licked his lips. Alex did, indeed, taste good, but he wasn't going to say anything else or try another kiss. He felt as if he had went a little further than either expected tonight. He stood up and headed towards the door, visibly shaken and not quite sure of where he was going to go next.

"Chris..." Alex called out, his hand rushing to his lips. It felt odd to say his name, but when Chris turned around, almost reluctantly, he continued on, "I'll see you in the ring." He finished up, trying to smile, but failing. He was just too confused and dazed to smile or frown or anything. Chris, on the other hand, gave a cheeky grin as if to say thanks. With a tiny nod, he left the room to get dressed. Alex leaned back against the wall with a sigh. He really had no idea what he was getting himself into...

* * *

A/N: Yay. Alex and Chris are... kind of... getting somewhere. Awh? Ha, tell me what you people think and hopefully these two can keep their jobs in the meantime, ha. But please leave me lots of pretty reviews for when I get back... please? 


	10. Misery Loves Its Company

A/N: Omgg, hey guyss! You can all bet that I kept thinking about this story while on vacation (I wouldn't even call it that, ha) and while I was out at the beach and whatnot. And trust me, I think I've got a firm idea on where this is all going, hopefully you'll all like it, ha..

* * *

"Jackie, can you get me my black shoes?" Christy asked cheerily as she held up a black mini skirt to herself, studying how it looked on her in the full-length mirror inside the Knockouts' locker room. Jackie nodded as she walked to Christy's bags, searching for the black heeled shoes she knew her best friend was asking for. With a sigh, she found them and headed back to the red head, handing them over to her. "Thanks." Christy grinned as she took them into her hands and flipped her hair over her shoulder. 

"So what's the big occasion?" Jackie grinned, placing her hands on her hips and smiling at Christy suggestively. The shorter woman only shrugged, placing herself on the wooden bench and unzipping her black heeled boots that she wore during her interview earlier. Jackie sat next to her, continuing to watch her knowingly.

"Nothing big, just clubbing with Gail, Leticia, SoCal and Tracy. Weren't you invited?" Christy blinked, raising her thin eyebrow up in confusion as Jackie's smile died down. Had she even spoken to those three in the last month? She chewed on her lip before opening her mouth.

"I don't know, I haven't really talked to anybody lately." She admitted with a small shrug, glancing over to where Tracy was chatting on her cell phone, probably with Robert Roode, or Robby as she called him. Gail and Leticia were reading magazines. The new girl, Jacqueline Moore, was tucked away in her own corner on her laptop, every now and then looking up to see what the others were doing. SoCal was still out in the arena.

"Oh. Well you're coming right?" Christy asked, blinking blankly at Jackie. The blonde looked back at her, uncertainty in her eyes.

"I don't want to intrude..." She admitted, letting her gaze fall onto the ground beneath them. Christy pouted as she grabbed Jackie's hands, staring up at her with hope in her gleaming blue eyes.

"You won't be. C'mon, Jackie... please? You owe me because last night you bailed on me and left me with that pervert Austin!" Christy cried out desperately, letting her head rest in Jackie's lap as she fake-sobbed. Jackie blinked, placing her hand on Christy's back reassuringly.

"You're right..." She frowned, gazing at the other girls quietly and thinking over her choices. She felt weird about all of this, but at least it would get her mind off of Alex for at least one night, right?

"So you'll go!?" Christy snapped up, grinned from ear to ear and showing off her white teeth as she let her hands fall in her own lap, looking at Jackie with dancing eyes. Jackie nodded, defeat clearly within her as she smiled half-heartedly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll go." She watched Christy squeal with delight and felt her wrap her arms tightly around her neck, shouting "Thank you!" over and over again. Jackie laughed and playfully pushed Christy away with a shake of her head. "Calm down. You're acting as if it's the first time we've been out in public together." She giggled, rolling her eyes at Christy's enthusiasm.

"Oh shut up, Jacks." The chirpy red head waved Jackie off, a grin still firmly planted on her lips. She went back over to her things, searching for a shirt. "Alright, you'd better start getting ready, we're gonna be heading out in an hour, okay?" Christy looked back at Jackie, who gave a tiny nod. The room went back to being quiet, except for Tracy's constant yapping. Jackie played with the hemline of her skirt, her thoughts returning as she thought about last night. Her and Alex really connected. She enjoyed just being in his company, even if neither said anything, like way back when they were alone on Jeff's balcony. Yeah, it was awkward as hell, but it felt good. He made her feel different than any other guy made her feel. Like... he wasn't trying to impress her, or sweep her off her feet. He was just being himself... he was being Alex. With Chris, it was similar, but she could never think of him as anything more than a best friend, maybe even a brother, but that was it. Alex was a challenge, a mystery, but she just felt completely drawn to him. But it wasn't like she could go and be flirty with him and whatnot, there was still Chris. She didn't want to see him get hurt. She was supposed to be his friend and help him out here. It just wasn't fair if she went and hooked up with the man of his dreams. Jackie sighed, rubbing her forehead as she closed her eyes deeply. If this was any other guy in the locker room, she would've confided in Christy for some of her own wise words. Unfortunately, the tiny red head didn't give a fuck about Alex and would only tell her to get over him and end up telling the entire roster that Chris liked Alex. She opened her eyes to see Christy worriedly staring at her from her spot in front of the mirror. "You alright? I've asked you your opinion on this top like seventy times and you haven't responded..." Christy asked, letting her feet take her back over to Jackie, feeling her forehead as if she were sick. Jackie nodded, batting Christy's hand away.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking is all." She shook her head, licking her glossy lips and pushing her curled hair behind her ears. Christy nodded, but continued peering at Jackie, worry still lingering in her gaze.

"About what?" She questioned, sitting back beside Jackie and putting the shirt on top of the skirt on the spot beside her on the bench. Jackie blinked but raked her hand through her hair, fluffing it up a bit. Christy continued watching her, a puzzled expression clearly visible.

"Uhm..." Jackie's eyes darted around as she thought over what she could possibly talk to Christy about. An idea struck her, "Why won't you give Austin a chance? He's done nothing but try and impress you and all you do is hurt his feelings..." She figured this was a pretty good topic to discuss, right? Christy sighed and all hint of worry abandoned her. Confusion took it's place and a bit of anger mixed in with it. She let her eyes stare at the ground as her hands laid in her lap.

"It's hard to explain, but have you seen the guy? He's been with every girl here pretty much and," She lowered her voice, "he's just... him. He always manages to piss me off, y'know?" She frowned to herself, letting her words process in her mind. Jackie nodded.

"Just give him one shot, though. People change, maybe he's matured." She suggested, watching Christy's face for a reaction. The red head's eyebrows shot up at Jackie's words but she quickly brushed it aside.

"I don't know. He's just... ugh." Another reason popped into Christy's head, "Plus, he's friends with that Alex guy... Can you say ew?" She shuddered as if to prove her point. Jackie swallowed nervously as her palms clammed up, staring at Christy as if she weren't expecting that type of answer. She hadn't really planned on Alex being part of the reason why Christy shot Austin down every moment of his life.

"Uh... Yeah. Look, why don't you invite him with us to the beach tomorrow? Get to know him a little better...?" Jackie offered with a shrug. Christy stared at Jackie blankly. Had she really just said that? With a sigh, Christy pushed her hair out of her face.

"What about you? You'll be all alone... and I don't want you to feel like a third wheel..." Sincerity clouded up Christy's usually joyful eyes. Jackie tapped her chin in thought for a few moments before a grin creeped onto her face. She felt like hugging herself for her wisdom right about now.

"Tell him to bring a friend." She winked, allowing her grin to appear. Christy nodded in agreement as her own smile formed.

"If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that you had a little thing for Mr. Shelley." She shrugged with a light giggle as she stood up, patting Jackie's head. She grabbed her outfit for the night and watched Jackie stand up with an uneasy chuckle.

"Ha, yeah. Good thing you know better, huh?" She once again uneasily laughed and suddenly felt hot. Why was she being so fuckin' nervous!? She wanted to scream and bang her head against the cement wall fifty bazillion times right now, but stopped herself before she could do anything. "Don't worry, Christy, trust me. I was just thinking it would make him feel more comfortable, y'know?" She giggled, still not sure on what Christy knew or not. She trudged to her bags, hoping Christy wouldn't notice anything odd about her nervousness.

"Alright, alright. I believe ya." It was Christy's turn to wink as she strode to the showers, "Be sure to pick out something hot. We want to turn heads and leave guys staring in our wake." With yet another wink, she disappeared behind the door. Jackie let herself collapse beside her bag, pushing her hair back as she bit down on her lip, her elbows on her knees. Jacqueline let her gaze fall on Jackie, pursing her lips in thought. She went to open her mouth, but instead went back to her lap top, not exactly feeling as if it was her place to speak.

* * *

"Hey, Shelley." An eager voice greeted Alex's ears as he turned around reluctantly. He sighed at seeing Jay and Sonjay there, but glanced back towards the curtain. Chris had just gone out and his music would be playing soon. He clenched his jaw shut before looking back at Chris' friends. "Glad to see we caught you in time, worried you'd go and make a mistake." Sonjay continued on as Jay stood there, grinning with his arms crossed. Alex offered a half wave, though his face was still unreadable. What the hell could these two want? 

"Look, Chris is a close, personal friend of ours and if you hurt him, we hurt you." Jay watched Alex fidget nervously. There was no one else in the hallway and these two weren't exactly asking him if he wanted to buy Girl Scout cookies.

"I think I got the point. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna miss my cue." Alex rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, heading back towards the curtain. He still felt weird and had no idea what he would do in the ring, but at least he was doing his best to help Chris keep his job.

"Hey, we're talking to you!" Sonjay yelled out, grabbing Alex's upper arm and twirling him around, pushing him up against the wall fiercely. Jay nodded as he glared at Alex threateningly. "When someone with our talent talks to you, you don't turn your useless back on them, got it!?" Sonjay narrowed his eyes, applying more force to his grip on Alex. The Michigan native groaned and glared back at them. For someone with his size, Sonjay was pretty strong.

"Sure Chris may be our good friend, but it doesn't mean we have to be nice to you because he told us to. We do what we want, when we want." Jay added as he cracked his knuckles as if to prove his point, "And lately, he's been ditching us for you. So now, we just want to remind you of your place in this world." He nodded at Sonjay and as if on cue, Sonjay threw Alex onto the ground as Jay kicked him in the gut. Alex let out a moan and grabbed his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut. Jay continued kicking him as Sonjay watched, a sick grin planted on his face. Alex let out a yelp as suddenly Sonjay's boot connected with his skull. Tears sprang to his eyes as the two continued kicking him. Faintly, he could hear his music start playing and he tried his best to push the pair away. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Jay's boot, although it did nothing but make them stop and stare at him with sadistic smiles reaching their ears.

"Awh, is little Alex _trying_ to fight back? Shocker, I thought that all he did was sit there and take shit from everybody." Sonjay taunted as he knelt down to look closer at Alex's face. "How cute." He pinched Alex's cheek adoringly and laughed when his hand was pushed away. "And wait... what is that I hear?" He faked a gasp and let his hand fly to his mouth in shock, "Is that _your_ entrance music I hear? Wow, would you look at that. Hey, if you just sat there like you did for all those months, you could be out there by now, limping down the ramp. But nope, you had to go and act all macho. Guess what?" Sonjay reached down, roughly yanking Alex up by his two-toned hair. "You just got yourself a date with the broom and mop, you lucky dog, you!" He chuckled and watched Jay open the janitor's closet. He shoved Alex in, watching him instantly fall to his knees.

"Bye, 'lex. Be sure to use protection." With a wink, Jay slammed the door shut as Sonjay pushed a few random objects in front of the door. They hi-fived each other with a laugh before strutting down the hallway as if they owned the place.

Alex crawled to the door as he blindly felt for the doorknob. He twisted it and pushed forward, only to get nowhere. He felt a lump form in his throat as his eyes teared up. He fell against the door in defeat as he sniffled. This night kept getting more and more screwed up. He let his head fall into his hands and a sob escaped. How could he win?

* * *

"Once again... From Detroit, Michigan, weighing in at 199 pounds... Alex Shelley!" David practically begged into the microphone. He watched Alex's video stop playing, as well as his music. _That stupid little bastard better of gotten himself killed for making me sound like an idiot on TV..._ He thought hatefully as he glared at nowhere in particular. Chris, on the other hand, felt his throat run dry as he stared at the tunnel, which was still empty. Had Alex really lied to him? His eyes widened as the audience sat there as if they expected him to never show up. Even if the crowd was wildly cheering and SoCal, David, Mike, and Don were all screaming at each other, Chris heard nothing but his own thoughts. He couldn't believe Alex had pulled another one over on him. This had to be some kind of nightmare. He practically admits his feelings for him and _kisses_ him and all he does is lie to him and cost him his job? No... there had to be a better reason as to why Alex didn't show up. Maybe he got stuck in traffic... even if he was already in the building. Maybe he fell asleep? Or maybe he was busy being sat on by Kevin? 

By the time Chris had numbly crawled out of the ring, he had settled on the excuse that Alex had went out to get a coffee and had gotten hit by a taxi and was dying somewhere in the street. _What the hell am I thinking!?_ Chris yelled at himself mentally, shaking his head and rubbing his temples in frustration. He stalked up the ramp, completely ignoring the fact SoCal was chasing after him, wildly screaming something along the lines of Jim wanting to talk to him and that he had to stay in the ring and be declared the number-one contender.

* * *

"Oh my God! What is he doing here?!" Christy spun around, eyes wide as she grabbed Jackie's shoulder. The blonde peeked over Christy's shoulder to see Austin sitting on a barstool, calmly drinking a beer beside Kevin and Jeff. She noticed he looked a bit disappointed. Her guess was that it was because of Christy. 

"I don't know..." She shrugged, "Maybe you should invite him now, strike up a conversation?" She offered with a frown. Christy continued staring at her, the sounds of "Tipsy" by J-Kwon in the background filling her ears.

"_Now_!?" The red head shouted above the music, almost like she didn't believe it was coming from her own mouth. Leticia and SoCal had already made their way over towards the center of the dancing crowd, probably turning a _lot_ of heads with their... suggestive dancing. Gail and Tracy were being chat up by a couple of big guys, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Tracy would end up calling Robert, who would come running with Chris Harris, and they'd kick the guys' asses one-two-three.

"Just do it. I'll be right here when you come back." Jackie promised, twisting Christy back around and lightly shoving her off towards the bar. Christy sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder to reveal a very low and tight white v-neck that ended about an inch or two above her belly button. Her black mini skirt could very well be mistaken for a belt and her black heels added another four inches to her height. If Jackie hadn't known better, she could have sworn Christy was just some hooker looking for someone to screw. Jackie, on the other hand, had opted for a low, tight pink tank top that ended right above her belly button, a relatively appropriate blue jean skirt (it was still pretty short though), and black heels that weren't as high as Christy's. The spunky red head made her way to the bar and Jackie tried her best to keep her eye on her friend, but ended up being swept away to the dance floor with some random drunken guy.

"Yeah, I'll have a strawberry daiquiri." Christy ordered after flagging down the bar tender. He nodded before reluctantly peeling his eyes away from her to get her drink. She grinned flirtatiously before leaning practically across the counter right next to where Austin was sitting. She kicked her leg up behind her, hoping to catch the Wisconsin native's attention without having to be the first to say anything, or make it seem like she was desperate, which she wasn't, not by a long shot. _Stupid Jackie..._ Christy rolled her eyes but let her smile adorn her face once again when the bar tender returned with her drink.

"On the house, babe." He winked as Christy nodded carelessly, sipping on the drink slowly, eyeing Austin out of the corner of her eye. She leaned even more on the counter as the bar tender went to attend to a man down at the other end of the counter. She cleared her throat and even twisted her body towards Austin, praying he would look in her direction some time before she had to practically lay on the counter. As she went to inch even more on the wooden object, Austin glanced at her, making her freeze. The man studied her for a bit, hurt clearly in his eyes as if she was doing all of this to make him feel bad.

"You look nice tonight, Christy." He complimented with a curt nod before going back to his beer. Christy's lips parted as her heart pounded in her chest. She didn't even know why she was getting nervous or feeling bad about what she was doing. She hated the guy and had made it clear to everybody within hearing range. With a regrettable sigh, she opened her mouth and fluffed up her hair.

"Uhm... Thanks, Austin. Look," She stopped, unsure of how to word this. Austin looked back at her blankly for a few moments. "Do you and Alex want to go to the beach with me and Jackie tomorrow?" She asked, holding her breath in her throat as she gazed at him, most of her wanting him to say no. Hell, she prayed he would say no. Austin's face looked clearly shell-shocked. Had he heard correctly?

"Wait... Y_ou_ want _me_ to come to the beach with you tomorrow?" He asked in disbelief, blinking wildly underneath his black cap. Christy nodded, sighing as if she gave up.

"Uh... yeah... with Jackie and Alex too... Can't forget them..." She uneasily laughed. There was no way she would go if Jackie wasn't going. She really didn't care what Alex did, though. Austin seemed to consider this for a few moments.

"Yeah, we'd love to go tomorrow. That's nice of you, Christy." He sheepishly smiled, tracing the counter with his finger. Christy stared at him before nodding, slumping her shoulders.

"Thanks... Uh... I guess meet us there at two?" She suggested, watching him grin wildly. She suddenly felt like running out of here and throwing up in some alleyway. Her stomach was doing flips and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Austin nodded, oblivious to her nervousness.

"Gotcha. We'll definitely be there." He winked, suddenly jumping back into player mode. Christy nodded as she slid off of the counter, ignoring her drink as she went to walk away.

"Alright, bye." She dismissed herself and disappeared into the crowd, disbelief washing over her. Had she done what she thought she had? She pushed her hair out of her eyes and searched for Jackie. She really needed someone to clutch onto right now.

* * *

Jackie sighed as she watched Christy continue grinding with yet another guy. Gail was sitting on the bar counter, checking her missed calls, while Tracy was passed out across her lap. Leticia and SoCal were swaying to the beat of "Fergalicious" by Fergie as they laughed drunkingly from three too many drinks, but thankfully they stuck around in Gail's sight. Jackie tiredly pushed her hair back, feeling as if she would collapse. Her feet were killing her, her eyelids felt heavy as anything, and she was just, in general, beat. All of them, except Christy, were ready to turn in. Only problem was that they had no car and no one was willing to walk home with Christy, or leave her behind for some rapist to get her. It was a girl thing, Jackie guessed. The club was still as packed as it was three hours ago and it seemed as if more people had come. 

"_Christylicious, definition make them boys go crazy_." Christy drunkingly slurred, even as she managed to keep her body pressed up against the guy's. She giggled insanely and looked up at him, constantly flipping her hair over her shoulders. Jackie decided enough was enough when she saw where his hands were going.

"Alrighty, pleasure meeting you, but she has some prior commitments to deal with, bye." The blonde quickly snatched Christy away from the man with a roll of her eyes. Christy pouted, but continued on with revising the song to the way she wanted it. "Let's go." Jackie wrapped her arm around Christy's frail body and motioned to the door.

"Thank you!" Gail placed her phone back in her skin-tight jeans pocket and carefully slid off of the counter, grabbing Tracy with her. She herded Leticia and SoCal to the door, leading Jackie out of the club. Something made her wish they had brought that Jacqueline chick with them tonight, this way she could keep her eye on Leticia and SoCal. Jackie dragged Christy alongside her, sighing. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and never get back up, her feet were killing her that bad. She trailed behind Gail a little further and she felt her eyes begin to close. _Just keep walking..._ She encouraged herself, a bit of disappointment building up within her. She continued dragging her feet across the ground, positive her shoes were ruined for life by now. As her eyes closed, she felt herself walk smack into something stiff. Flying backwards, she almost screamed and dropped Christy on the ground, as well as herself. Thinking the worst, she looked up, expecting someone ready to kill her, only to meet the concerned gaze of Chris. He stared down at her unsurely as he looked from Christy's insane plastered grin to Jackie's wide eyes before looking behind him at Gail, Leticia, SoCal, and Tracy, who all stopped and were retracing their steps.

"Sorry." Jackie mumbled, quickly pulling herself up and picking Christy up as well. Chris shook his head, continuing to watch them uneasily.

"Don't be, it's my fault, really." He nodded, although he seemed to be more concerned with other things than bumping into Jackie and Christy at one A.M. Jackie nodded and cleared her throat.

"You alright?" She asked warily, taking notice of the distant look in his eyes. Chris let his gaze rest on her as he rubbed the back of his head. He sighed and jammed his fists into his hoodie's pocket.

"Alex didn't show up tonight!" He yelled out suddenly, alerting Jackie instantly. She almost dropped Christy again as her jaw fell open, eyes wide. "So you know what that means. Ugh. That mother-fuckin' screwbag of a backstabber..." He muttered on with his hate rant. Jackie lightly placed Christy onto the ground before letting her arms snake her way around Chris' warm and tense body.

"I'm sure he had a good reason for not showing up." She whispered, sighing into his shoulder as she stared into nowhere, rubbing his back. Chris hugged her back, lightly shrugging.

"I just don't know anymore." He admitted, continuing to hug her tightly. Something inside of him made it impossible for him to let her go, he just didn't want to. He wanted to have someone to hold onto and cry to.

"Look, let's talk more at my place, alright? Just help me get these guys all to bed." Jackie offered a half-smile although he couldn't see it behind his back.

"I'd like that." Chris nodded as he seemed to of remembered that the other girls were all still here. Jackie shook her head.

"Thought so." She let go of him and suddenly felt cold, but shrugged it off as she picked Christy back up. "Can you help Gail lead SoCal and Leticia back? They keep wandering off." Jackie giggled. To her, it sounded as if she was talking to him about a bunch of cows or sheep. Chris nodded, practically running over to the two girls, which Gail gave a sigh of relief at. The large group headed back home in silence, except for Christy's singing every now and then.

* * *

"Well that was certainly interesting, huh?" Jackie tried her best to laugh as she sipped on her coffee inside the little kitchen area she and Christy considered their kitchen. Chris sat across from her at the table, staring into his own steaming brown pool of liquid. Christy was fast asleep in her bed, thankfully for both of them. Neither really wanted to hear her sing anymore hip-hop covers. 

"Mm." Chris agreed quietly, swishing his coffee around boredly. Jackie placed her cup onto the table, reaching over and grabbing his hand with her own. He looked up at her as she stared into his eyes, sincerity running through her.

"So what do you need to talk about?" She asked as he shrugged, biting down on his lip. "Chris..." She continuing watching him, expecting him to talk. Chris sighed and pushed his coffee away, opening his mouth.

"I think I'm gonna give up on Alex..." He announced, regret forming inside of him when Jackie's face fell. The blonde could only stare at him blankly, hoping he was playing some cruel joke on her. "I mean... he just doesn't seem to care and Kevin came to visit yesterday. He _threatened_ me, Jackie. Have you _seen_ the guy!? My life's at stake for this man who can't even pretend he cares about what I'm doing for him. Jackie... I even..." Chris swallowed all of the pride he had left before he continued on, "I even kissed him tonight. And... and the only thing he did was stare at me and told me he'd be in the ring, but he never showed up. I think he thinks this is just a game." Chris frowned in defeat, hoping Jackie would tell him something, anything, to make him feel better. But he had completely lost her after the word _kiss_. Jackie's eyes were wide, but with hurt and betrayal. She didn't want to, she really didn't want to, but she felt betrayed and back-stabbed. Tears formed in her eyes and her heart pounded in her chest. It wasn't true. It _couldn't_ be true, could it? Had Chris really gone as far as to _kiss_ Alex? Jackie wanted to scream and slap Chris and kick him out, but she didn't. She sat there, staring at him through glossy eyes, feeling as if her heart was ripped out of her chest, stabbed repeatedly and then jumped on. "Jackie? You alright? You look a little flushed..." Chris worriedly stared at her, frowning. Jackie blinked back the tears and nodded, sniffling quietly to herself.

"Yeah, it's just a little hot in here..." She waved him off with an unsure chuckle, "Just... I mean... if you two went so far as to... y'know..." Jackie really couldn't bear to bring herself to say the dreaded four-letter word, especially if it was between those two. "What I'm trying to say is... don't give up on him just yet. I know for a fact he cares about you and that he wants to be helped, he's just scared." She explained, taking in a deep breath. It was too late for this. She just wanted to go to sleep and act as if this never happened. This night kept getting worse and worse.

"Jackie, I highly doubt you know that for a fact. I mean, I love and respect you and all, but how would you know how Alex thinks?" Chris asked with a tiny shake of his head, staring into her eyes once again. Jackie swallowed as her eyes welled up again. She mentally cursed herself off, squeezing her eyes shut. She opened her eyes when she felt Chris squeeze her hand. She studied him and she could tell he was truly concerned.

"Uhm... We may have... talked..." She admitted, pursing her lips in thought uneasily. Chris's face fell and he continued to stare at Jackie as if she were crazy. "The other night at the movies, Austin and Alex showed up and well, Alex disappeared so I went to follow him, see if I could help you two out a bit and... we spoke. It was really nice... and I found out... he just pushes you away because... " Jackie took a deep breath. Was she really spilling all of this out to Chris? The odd thing was that instead of feeling bad, she was feeling better, as if a weight was being lifted off of her shoulders with each word she uttered. "Alex... he's afraid of falling in love with... you..." She finished, her voice wavering slightly. _Yeah, that's right. Alex is afraid of falling in love with Chris, not you, you stupid whore._ Jackie thought, clamping her eyes shut and clenching her hands into fists, forgetting Chris was still holding her hand.

"W-what?" Chris asked, hope flickering through his eyes as if he didn't notice Jackie's odd antics. Alex was afraid of falling in love with him? He actually wanted something to happen, didn't he? Chris almost let out a laugh of victory and went to jump on Jackie to give her the biggest hug she ever had, as well as a kiss, but stopped himself. He blinked, watching her for a bit. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, trying his best to contain his joy. Jackie seemed to have blocked everything out. She just sat there with her eyes shut as a knot built up inside of her throat. Chris glanced around himself before rubbing his thumb over Jackie's hand, watching her with concern back in his eyes. "Jackie? Jacks... Babe, what's wrong?" Chris sounded as if he were begging her now. Jackie slowly opened her eyes and stared at him, tears threatening to spill at any given moment.

"N-nothing. I'm fine, really. Just happy for you, alright? Happy, happy, happy." Jackie lied, her voice cracking as she tried her best to faux a smile as if to help prove her point. Chris raised an eyebrow at her but quickly leaned closer to her, looking at her dead in the eye.

"Jackie, tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you." He pleaded, licking his dry lips as anxiety built up within him. Jackie closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, regret readable on her face. It took Chris a while, but he felt as if he knew what she was going to say next, and he hoped he was wrong.

"C-Chris... I... I love Alex." Jackie whispered as if she were embarrassed to admit it. Chris didn't bother with a shocked expression. He just simply pushed himself away from her and stood up, pouring his cold coffee cup in the sink. He snatched his black Billabong hoodie from his chair and slipped it on, heading towards the door. Jackie jumped up from her seat as the tears finally overflowed and raced down her cheeks. "Chris! Chris!" She latched onto his arm, trying her best to turn him around, hoping he would talk to her. "Don't be mad at me, please! Talk to me!"

"Why would you do this to me?!" Chris yelled, shoving her off of him as he continued stalking down the hall, head bent down to the ground. Jackie slammed the door behind her as she felt anger overcome her, as well as even more regret.

"I can't control how I feel, y'know! I'm not a robot, Chris!" She screamed after him, stomping her foot in frustration. She really didn't know how to feel about all of this anymore. One minute Chris is being all caring and the next he's abandoning her. Chris stopped walking and slowly turned to face her. Silence lingered in the air between the two and Jackie held her breath.

"Jackie, just screw off. Stay out of my life, as well as Alex's." Chris snapped, glaring at her darkly. Jackie felt even more tears come racing to her eyes as she watched him leave. She placed her hand over her mouth as a sob emitted from her. This couldn't be happening. Had she and Chris just gotten into a fight? Over Alex...? Jackie wanted to stab herself right now. Whatever happened to her not wanting to ruin what the two had, even at her expense? She felt another sob build up, as well as a headache. Jackie opened her door and walked in shakily, flopping onto her bed and staring up at the ceiling. As tired and beat as she was and even if her head screamed at her to sleep, she couldn't.

* * *

A/N: Wow... To me, a lot happened in this chapter. Romance, angst, and drama, my three favorite aspects of a story. Ha. Poor Jackie. Poor Chris. Poor Alex. Yay Austin. Finally something goes right for him and everybody else is miserable. I'd much rather Alex, Chris, and Jackie to be happy than Austin... but that's just my opinion... -shrug- 


	11. Shot Through The Heart

A/N: Heyy! Yeah... I've had this chapter up for a couple days now, but I always forgot to update. Sorry. Thanks for all of the reviews and I'll try not to forget about the next chapter, ha.

* * *

Chris numbly stared at the door before him, unsure whether or not he should knock. He honestly couldn't tell why he had come here, his feet just led him here. He sighed deeply and pushed his hair out of his face before letting his fist knock on the door, silently praying it wouldn't open. He drew a deep breath as he waited, stuffing his hands in his gray hoodie as he glanced up and down the hallway casually as if he stood outside doors every day of his life. Without warning, the door slowly opened and standing there was Jackie. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, crossing her arms and eyeing up Chris, shock almost clearly on her face. 

"Jackie..." The Michigan native started slowly, not entirely certain on how he would word this. He watched her study the ground, hurt still clear in her eyes. He frowned at her, memories rushing back to when he had screamed at her. He wanted to erase them from his mind, but it was impossible. She had said that she loved Alex... the man he loved. She was his best friend and that just wasn't supposed to happen. "Last night... it didn't exactly go as planned, y'know? And what I'm trying to get at is... I guess..." Chris paused, thinking over his words once again. He didn't know why it was so hard for him to say this, it was just weird. He wanted to forgive her, but it was so difficult. "I'm sorry." He sheepishly looked to the ground, rubbing the back of his neck quietly. Jackie let her gaze fall onto his face, her eyes tearing up as she remembered what had happened only a few hours ago.

"Yeah... me too." She whispered softly, leaning against the door frame and placing her arms around herself as if they would protect her from any harm. She swallowed and waited for him to continue, being as she was out of things to say. She really didn't know what she could say actually. He was the one who flipped out on her. He was the one who yelled. He was the one who was mean. Jackie cleared her throat silently and glanced behind her. Christy was still in the shower.

"I was tired and stressed and Alex was getting to my head, honestly. I'll admit, I was harsh and I'm really sorry. Truthfully, I love what you're doing for me and Alex, and I'm grateful for it. I was just so stressed out and you telling me what you did about Alex just broke my boiling point. I guess I'm just... worried he'll fall for someone else or that someone'll steal him away from me, y'know? I'm protective?" He shrugged emptily, feeling out of excuses. He said what he had wanted to say, so why was his heart still pounding? Jackie nodded, thinking over what he had said. "What I mean by all of this is... I'm truely and deeply sorry. I made a stupid mistake and I really regret it... will you forgive me?" Chris let his hands dangle uselessly at his sides as he watched her, hoping she would accept his apology. The last thing he really wanted or needed right now was to lose Jackie. She was practically the only friend he had left.

"Yeah... It's alright." Jackie let a tiny smile grace her lips as she pushed herself up from the door frame, "I kinda figured something was up with the odd behavior." She stopped herself. Should she bring up the Alex situation or would it only cause more problems? She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, "Uhm... I also have to apologize about something. I'm sorry about telling you about how I feel about... Alex. I feel horrible about it and I don't want him to come between us." Jackie admitted, glancing between the floor and Chris' face, hoping she'd get a reaction. Chris nodded solemnly, chewing on his lip in thought. "I don't want my feelings to get in the way of you and Alex, which is why I'm going to force myself to get over him. There's so many reasons as to why me and him would never work and plus, my friends come before guys." She offered a smile, hoping it would reassure both of them about all of this.

"Jackie, it's not fair for either of us to still chase after him, especially if we both feel the same for him. I don't want to hurt you and you don't want to hurt me." Chris shook his head, rubbing his forehead tiredly. Jackie frowned as she reached out and touched his arm, her eyes round with concern.

"No, Chris. I'm willing to stand by and let you two continue on, and I'll help when I can. Alex loves you, or at least I can tell he wants to, not me. He'll never like me, I'm not his type either." Jackie waved Chris off before placing her hands on both of his shoulders. "Please. I'm begging you, Chris. Don't give up on Alex because of me. In fact, I want you to go after him and go out with him and kiss him like he's never been kissed before in his life, or maybe even take it three steps forward, if you know what I mean. I don't really care, alright? I'm your best friend and I just want you two to be happy." She quickly caught his gaze and held it, not willing to look away. Chris sighed before breaking the eye contact and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you." He mumbled into her ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her head rest against his chest as she thought over what she had said. Sure she could say it as much as she wanted, but it still wouldn't change how she felt. She still loved Alex and she was pretty sure nothing would change that, for now at least. Just as long as Chris was happy, she was happy. That was how friendships should be, right? Even if it killed you to see your best friend with the man you loved, you should put on a smile and act as if nothing was wrong. It was just the laws of friendship.

* * *

"Where were you last night?" Austin asked cheerily as he glanced in his red Mustang's mirror for the fifth time. He was wearing a pair of black shades, black board shorts that had purple lines down the sides, black flip flops, and a black t-shirt. He straightened his black cap happily. Sure he was wearing a lot of black, but at least it made him look good. Alex shrugged from his position in the passenger's seat. He was wearing black board shorts, black flip flops, a black tight t-shirt with a blue design on it, and his black wistbands. His hair was held back by a white bandana with a few black designs on it as well. He didn't even know why he let Austin convince him into coming though. Actually, he didn't really convince him to come with him today. It was more of Austin threatening Alex with every sharp object in the room and picking him up onto his shoulder and carrying him out into the car and pinning him in the seat until they were driving. To Alex, it seemed pretty pointless. It wasn't as if he was going to spend today as if he were five years old again and go swimming and tanning and build sand castles. He would probably just sit there and listen to his i-pod for the entire day. 

"I... got held up, sorry." He muttered, looking out the window at the passing scenery. He'd rather not think about what happened last night. It just wasn't exactly something he'd like to remember or talk about. Eventually a stage hand had found him and before he could lock him back in the closet, he had ran off. He crossed his arms and continued watching other cars pass by. Austin nodded, unsure of what to say next. He could tell that today would be a good day, he just got a great vibe from it. Christy was finally warming up to him. He grinned and decided to put the radio on, figuring Alex wasn't exactly in a chatty mood. The sudden loud music graced the pair's ears and Alex nearly screamed in shock. He was _not_ expecting the radio to be on _that_ loud. He swallowed nervously, hoping his heart beat would go back to normal as he silently glared daggers in Austin's direction. The Wisconsin man was too busy singing along with "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado and Timbaland to notice anything out of the ordinary about Alex and his death glare.With a roll of his eyes, Alex slide down in his seat, going back to watching the other cars. The car came to a screeching halt what seemed like hours later and Alex felt himself being flung forward. "Jesus Christ!" He screamed out as he snapped back into his seat, his head only inches from colliding with the dashboard. The car swerved to the right at what felt like ninety miles per hour and then came to another halt after a left turn. Alex held his breath in his throat as he slowly slid back up to peek out the window. Austin had found a parking spot... and they were at the beach. Joy. Austin chuckled as he undid his seat belt and turned off the ignition.

"Learn to wear a seat belt, bud. You could've just died." He winked and climbed out of the car, eagerly searching for the fiery red head and usually cheery blonde, but mostly the red head. Alex scowled at Austin before opening his door, reluctantly stepping out.

"I'm not that fortunate." He mumbled, rolling his eyes once again. He crossed his arms stiffly across his chest and leaned against the car, waiting for Austin's signal to cross the parking lot and onto the sandy white beach. Austin looked both ways before motioning to Alex to start walking. The duo briskly crossed the pavement, Austin's head held high as he continued his search while Alex studied the ground.

"Great... they showed up." Christy mumbled as she instantly spotted the two men. Jackie looked up from the silver BMW's mirror as she finished up her lip gloss. Her heart did leaps of joy inside her chest and a grin tugged at the corners of her lips. Christy rolled her eyes and forced herself out of the car. She fluffed up her hair before waving the two down, calling their names. "Hey, guys!" She yelled out, placing a smile on her lips, as much as she didn't want to. Austin spotted her almost as quickly as he got here and a smirk appeared as he elbowed Alex enthusiastically. Alex just shoved him away quietly. _This_ was sure to be tons of fun. As the two women approached them, Austin felt his mouth run dry. Christy was wearing a barely-there red bikini that practically showed off every inch of her body with a blue jean mini skirt over it and white flip flops. She had a pair of big black sunglasses on as well. Jackie was wearing a tiny pink bikini with a black mini skirt and black flip flops, hoping she didn't look as whorey as Christy. That was pretty much the last thing she wanted. Yeah, she loved Christy to death and she kind of favored being in the spotlight beside her best friend, but she didn't favor wearing practically nothing all day long.

"Wow..." Austin clearly looked stunned as he studied the pair, barely sending Alex a glance. His mind repeatedly screamed "S_core_" but his heart told him to keep his mouth shut and act as gentlemanly as he could muster. Alex gave Jackie a tiny nod as he glanced her over out of the corner of his eye boredly. The blonde felt her heart melt and she stuffed her hands in her back pockets, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Uhm... yeah. I think we should set up right about over there." Christy pointed her perfectly manicured red nails towards an empty spot beside an elderly couple. Austin nodded as he grabbed a cooler from the ground that Christy had placed earlier. Alex slightly pouted. He didn't want to be here and he certainly didn't want to be hauling around a whore's things when she had two arms herself. Alex managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes for a third time within the hour and snatched the giant blanket. This whole thing sucked. He trudged behind Austin, who was standing exactly where Christy had pointed. "Uh... wait." Christy spoke up again as soon as the two had finished setting up, "The sun's much better over there." She turned around and pointed down to where there was a big empty spot with no one around.

"You have got to be kidding me." Alex lowly growled as he snatched the blanket and stomped over to where she was pointing. Christy grinned innocently, even as Austin plastered his own grin and picked up the cooler. Jackie stood there unsurely, not exactly understanding what her friend was doing at the moment. Once the blanket was smoothed out and the cooler was placed, Christy tapped her chin in thought.

"Actually, I like the other spot better." She frowned as Alex's jaw dropped. He raised his eyebrow at her as he clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the blanket once again. If there was one person not making it home alive today, it was definitely Christy. Austin sighed, but contained his frustration inside as he picked up the cooler lightly, marching over to the other spot. "Over a little more, we don't need some old pervs watching this body, now do we?" Christy continued grinning, batting her eyelashes as if she weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. The men did as they were told for a fourth time. "Wait..."

"If you make us move one more time, I fuckin' swear I will rip all of your fuckin' precious dyed hair out of your fuckin' head and fuckin' slit your fuckin' throat." Alex snapped as he glared at Christy as if she just murdered his dog. Christy gasped as she blinked furiously. Did he just say what she thought he said? Jackie stared at Alex, eyes wide. Sure she was feeling the same way as him, but she kept it bottled up inside. Austin wanted to jump on Alex and make him take back everything he just said, but stood still.

"Uhm... Alrighty then..." Christy swallowed uneasily as she rocked back and forth as a few people around them all stared at the four as if they just escaped from jail. She quickly took off her skirt and kicked off her flip flops with a shudder. "I'm gonna go head down to the water..." She muttered, slowly backing away and towards the water, hoping to get away from Alex as quickly as humanly possible.

"I'll come with." Austin offered as he chased after her, peeling off his shirt and tossing it beside the blanket alongside his flip flops. Alex huffed, flopping onto the blanket and staring up at the sky while he glared into nowhere. Jackie glanced over towards Christy and Austin before looking back at Alex. What was she supposed to do? She studied the two-toned haired man as he reached into his board shorts, taking out his black i-pod nano. Without saying anything, he placed the ear phones into his ears and turned the device on, searching for a song. Jackie licked her dry lips and let herself sit beside him, trying her best to act normal. She watched Christy and Austin for a bit as she began humming along to Alex's i-pod. She easily recognized it as Rock Kills Kid's "Paralyzed". At realizing she wasn't exactly sitting that close to Alex, she blinked, glancing at him.

"He's going to make himself deaf, I swear." Jackie shook her head at Alex with a tiny smile as she leaned back, continuing to watch him out of the corner of her eye. Chris wouldn't have to know she was watching him... right?

* * *

"Hey, uhm... Christy?" Austin frowned as he glanced at the red head, who was staring at the cold water just barely touching her feet. She glanced up and looked at him blankly. 

"Hmm?" She asked quietly, placing her hands on her hips as she eyed him curiously, as much as she didn't want to. Was he like some sort of stalker? She would be fine on her own. She'd swam in oceans plenty of times before. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him, she raised her eyebrows up, expecting him to continue on.

"Thanks for letting me come today, it was really nice of you." He smiled lightly, watching her frown at him. The red head nodded and looked out to the horizon, pushing her hair back.

"It was no problem, really." She sighed, crossing her arms across her stomach as she eyed a few guys out of the corner of her eye. She chewed on her lip as a smile creeped onto her face as she caught one of them watching her. She flirtatiously flipped her hair over her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips once more.

"You look really good today. Be careful or the sun'll get jealous of you stealing all of it's hotness." Austin grinned as he nodded at her knowingly. Christy whipped her head back to face him, glaring darkly at the man beside her.

"Austin, look, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but if I were you, I'd quit while I was ahead. I would never go out with you, because quite frankly, you disgust me. You've slept with every woman that's come and gone within TNA and I just don't do that kind of thing. Sure I may dress and act like a slut, but I don't sleep with random guys. I know when to stop and I know how to keep my self-respect, unlike you. So just leave me alone and stop hitting on me, alright?" Christy snapped, eyes blazing as she clenched her fists. Austin blinked before sighing and rolling his eyes.

"You just don't get it, do you? Christy, I didn't just wake up one morning and decide I wanted some action or to play with your feelings. I actually do care for you and I've changed, matured if you will. I'm way past all of that _getting into every woman's pants_ stage. Just give me a chance to prove myself to you. I come out with the stupidest pick-up lines and whatnot because you intimidate me, and I'm sorry. I'm not as bad as you make me out to be." Austin pleaded, staring at her with sincerity and hope. The red head bit down on her lip as she stared at him uneasily. With a frown, she opened her mouth to speak.

"I know you. You're just like all of the other guys I've met throughout my entire life. You tell me what I want to hear, find out I'm not as easy as I make myself look, and bolt. Same story, different man. I've heard it before, too. You come crawling back, saying you've changed, well, I've got news for you. Once a player, always a player. You're nothing more and I'm sorry, that'll never change. People never do. They just say they have and may act like it, but soon enough, the real them slips out and it only hurts the ones they care about most." Christy explained, hurt clearly in her eyes as she took a shaky breath. Austin stared at her, uncertainly taking a step towards her as he reached out and gently brushed her hair behind her ear, watching her stare up at him reluctantly.

"I'm not like those guys, I swear. Christy, I really do love you and I would never hurt you. I would rather kill myself than see you hurt." He whispered as her eyes glazed out, her eyes slowly falling to stare at the water lapping around their ankles. Austin reached out and gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Please, let me prove you wrong." He mumbled, resisiting the urge to kiss her as he continued to watch her. Christy searched his face for any hint of joking or lying, but there was no trace of it. He was being one-hundred percent sincere.

"If you..." Christy seemed at a loss for words as she tried to think over what to say. "If you hurt me, I swear you'll-" She was cut off as Austin opened his mouth.

"I won't." He promised, watching as she let a tiny smile form on her lips. Without saying anything else, she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to hug her back, resting his chin on his head as he closed his eyes. Christy fought back tears as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Why was Jackie always right?

* * *

"They seem pretty cozy." Jackie noted as she spotted Christy and Austin hugging. Alex glanced at her before looking at the pair. He mumbled something before bringing his knees to his chest with a sigh. The blonde didn't seem to get the hint when he kept making his i-pod's volume go higher and higher. Giving up, he had put his i-pod back into his pocket, deciding if he kept her happy with a tiny conversation, he'd be able to go back to his thoughts sooner or later. "What's wrong?" Jackie turned her attention onto Alex blankly. The dark eyed man only shook his head at her. 

"Nothing." He replied, fixing his bandana boredly. Jackie frowned as she nodded, looking back to Christy and Austin.

"You're quite the conversation starter." She smiled, watching him stare at the sand.

"I'm not in the mood to talk, is that alright with you?" Alex sighed once again as he rested his chin on his knees, momentarily closing his eyes. Jackie pushed her hair back.

"Alright, alright. Sorry." She laid back, staring at the sky with a small yawn. Alex curiously glanced at her as she closed her eyes. He frowned as he studied her. He leaned back and stared ahead of himself for a little while before letting his thoughts out into the open.

"How do you do it?" He asked quietly, barely realizing he had opened his mouth. Jackie's eyes opened and she sat up straight staring at him blankly. He _did_ know how wrong that sounded, right? Swallowing uneasily, Jackie thought over what he had asked.

"Uhm... I'm not the best person to come to for sex advice, 'lex. If you love Chris enough to... y'know... then I suggest you ask someone with more experience..." She managed to choke out, eyes blinking in confusion. Did she just say that she had no experience with sex while being able to mentally think about Alex and Chris skipping second and third base? She breathed in deeply. She had to calm down. There was no way the two were already taking their relationship that far so soon. They weren't even going out. They just shared one kiss. A kiss that Alex didn't respond to.

"W-what!?" Alex ended up choking on his air as he realized what Jackie was thinking he meant. He furiously shook his head, wrinkling his nose in disgust at her perverted thoughts. "No! I'm not talking about that... nowhere near that." He finally caught his breath and rubbed his throat nervously. "I meant... how do you deal with both me and Chris? You just come, say some wise words, and then go home and do your own thing. It's... weird, especially coming from someone who looks like they don't give a damn about guys like me." He shrugged emptily, not sure what he was getting at anymore. "I mean like... you see both sides to every situation and you never seem to get frustrated with anything. It's different. Usually everybody instantly assumes I'm wrong and they side with whoever I'm against. It's nice to know that someone actually understands where I'm coming from." He offered a half-hearted smile, watching her quietly. Jackie let a smile appear on her face as she let her hands rest in her lap as she sat cross-legged so she could face him. Alex sat up and leaned forward to hug his knees loosely.

"I'm just that kind of person. Sometimes looks can be deceiving. Like, take Christy for example, she looks like one of those high-class sluts who only throw hissy fits and always have to have the latest trends. But beneath all of that, she's a great friend and she's always there for me. She's patient and understanding. I find it discriminating how just because you dress or look a certain way, you have to be portrayed that way. Just because I want to look nice and dress in cute little mini skirts and enjoy being blonde doesn't mean I'm ditzy, rich, and a whore who hates people below my social level. I don't think that way at all. And then there's you and Chris. Chris, at first glance, looks like some California surfer guy who just hits on chicks and puts other guys down. But if you actually get to know him, you can tell that he's compassionate and helpful. He's also a wonderful friend." Jackie paused to smile at the memories of her friend as she good-naturedly shook her head. "And you... before I met you, I only thought you were this loner guy who sat in the corner and let everybody take advantage of you. I always figured that you didn't care what everybody thought and that you were just going through life like it's some game, but then I found out you weren't like that. You have feelings and needs, too. You're probably one of the most unpredictable people I know and I can't give you an exact definition. But I can guarantee that it's way different than what most people would think." Jackie watched him frown at her as he nodded slowly, as if he were trying to grasp what she was saying to him. Alex licked his lips and studied a couple people walk by. "But... can I ask you something?" The blonde asked quietly as she pursed her lips in thought. Alex snapped his attention back to her. He gave her a tiny nod.

"Uh... sure." He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to know what she was asking, but it couldn't be anything horrible, right? Jackie sighed and drew a deep breath before continuing on.

"Why are you so afraid to open up and just be yourself?" She questioned, eyeing him curiously. Alex slouched over, staring at his feet as his eyes became distant.

"I... I guess because no one would like the real me." He answered truthfully, uncertainty in his voice as he furrowed his eyebrows together. Jackie blinked, watching as he continued staring ahead of himself.

"How do you know?" She whispered, anxiety growing inside of her. She bit down on her bottom lip, wanting him to answer her quicker. Alex sighed deeply, fixing his bandana nervously, even if it only messed his hair up.

"I just know, alright?" He looked at her, trying to sound as mean as he could, but only ended up sounding pathetic. His voice cracked as he spoke, memories rushing back to him. Jackie felt herself go to hug him, but stopped herself, trying not to make him cry, which seemed like a great possibilty at the moment. "I'm... I'm not the type of person people want around. Can we just leave it at that?" He asked, lowering his gaze to the blanket. Jackie nodded, licking her lips and frowning into nowhere.

"Yeah, it's alright." She replied with a tiny nod. "I'm... uh... I'm gonna go for a walk. You going to be okay?" She asked, slowly standing up. She swallowed and raked her hand through her hair. Why was she being so open with him? Instead of acting all flirty, she should be keeping her distance. She felt like slapping herself, but only left her hands at her sides.

"Yeah." Alex nodded and let his eyes wander out to the water. He sighed, watching a few random people start up a game of volleyball. Jackie nodded and left, trying not to make it obvious she was trying not to run. She needed Alex-free air.

* * *

_"What are you doing here?" The obviously shocked voice killed the silence lingering in the air. The room was dark, but she could still see his silhouette underneath the blankets, sitting up straight with his legs crossed. She giggled softly before pushing herself up from against the door frame and let herself slowly walk across the soft carpet._

_"I came to see you, isn't it obvious?" She replied, stopping beside the bed as she gazed down at him, her eyes easily adjusting to the dark. The only visible light was that of the moon shining through the sliding glass door. The man let a smile grace his lips as he pushed the blankets off of him, staring up at her with wide eyes._

_"Thought you were on your way to L.A.?" He questioned as he let his hand lightly touch her thigh, continuing to peer up at her with curiousity. The woman shook her head, a heartful smile appearing as she reached over to him, pushing his messy hair out of his dark eyes._

_"I missed you too much." She whispered, her forefinger tracing his jaw. He smirked and lightly chuckled at her response._

_"Good." He watched her continue to study him quietly. "Get over here." He grinned, wrapping his arms around her thin waist and pulling her down to him. She let out a tiny giggle at that but let her self fall onto him, immediently feeling his warmth through his shirt. He quickly captured her lips with his own as she moaned, giving into it as she deepened the kiss. She cupped his face with her hands, continuing to push her lips against his. He placed one hand behind her head while the other remained around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He let his tongue grace her lips, causing her to moan again. Finally, she pulled back, breaking the kiss reluctantly. She took a deep breath as he stared up at her, trying to catch his breath._

_"I love you, Alex." She whispered, running her fingers through his hair as her heart beat slowed down. Alex grinned up at her as he gave her a quick kiss._

_"I love you too, Jackie." He mumbled, staring into her brown eyes. She beamed and lowered her face back down to his, her lips welcoming his as she let her hands travel down his chest and to his hips, closing her eyes. He watched her for a little bit before closing his own eyes, once again pulling her closer to him. Jackie moved her hands up underneath his shirt as she continued-_

"JACKIE!" Christy's ear-piercing, giggly scream instantly awoke Jackie. The blonde blinked her eyes open as she stared up at Christy and Austin. Austin raised his eyebrow at Jackie curiously while Christy grinned at her best friend. Jackie sat up and spotted the ocean waves crashing against the beach. They were still here? She blinked once more and glanced to the side of her. Alex's back was to her and he was sound asleep, i-pod still blasting and blocking out all of the other sounds. She rubbed her forehead before looking at Christy uneasily.

"Are we leaving?" She asked slowly, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she played with a stray strand of hair. Christy giggled with a tiny nod.

"Yeah, but before we do, can I ask what in the world were you dreaming about? You kept moving and making strange noises..." With a tiny glance at Austin, Christy let out another laugh. Austin chuckled as he shook his head, fixing his sunglasses.

"Oh, it was nothing." Blush spread across Jackie's face as she remembered her dream. It felt so real and... right. She closed her eyes and let out a tiny breath of air before opening her eyes, hoping her face would lose it's pink touch. Christy glanced at Austin, disbelief clearly in her eyes, even if she said nothing more of the subject.

"Alright, while you were off snoozing, me and Austin came up with a great idea." The red head grinned as she clutched onto Austin's arm joyfully. Jackie raised an eyebrow as she glanced between the two. Had Christy actually accepted the fact that Austin was that good of a guy? "Me and Austin are going to take our car and head out to dinner somewhere while you and Alex go on home, alright?" Christy eyed Jackie unsurely. The blonde felt her heart pick up speed as she stared at Christy as if she were crazy. Her and Alex would be able to actually be alone? She gleefully nodded, trying her best to keep her happiness as inconspicuous as possible.

"Yeah, that sounds great." Jackie agreed as she stood up, biting down on her lip to keep the grin off of her face. Christy smiled wide and threw her arms around Jackie in a hug.

"Thanks." She whispered into Jackie's hair, unable to contain her relief. "I think you were right about him." She pulled back and knowingly winked at her friend. "I'll see you later tonight. Have fun!" Christy blew a kiss goodbye and literally dragged Austin towards her car after he tossed Jackie the keys to his car, obviously eager to get this night started. Jackie watched them leave, finally letting her smile adorn her face now that they were gone. She turned back around to wake Alex, only to find him yawning and placing his i-pod back into his pocket.

"Finally up?" She giggled, pushing her hair behind her ear as she looked down at the man, her eyes dancing. Alex glanced up at her and rolled his eyes, pushing himself up from the blanket and dusting sand off of him.

"Hey, you fell asleep too. Don't act like it never happened." He responded, waving his finger at her warningly. Jackie rolled her eyes good-naturedly and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, Mr. Shelley, I vote we start getting out of here before it starts raining." She suggested, feeling the wind pick up as she eyed the clouds in the sky that were growing darker. Alex glanced up before nodding quietly. He grabbed the cooler and began trudging towards Austin's car silently. Jackie frowned before grabbing the blanket and chasing after him. She couldn't help but laugh. Today was beginning to feel perfect, at least for her. There was a pinge of regret inside of her, but she tried to brush it off. All she was going to do was drive home and they'd go their seperate ways. It sounded so simple she almost laughed. She unlocked the car and tossed the blanket in carelessly. Alex placed the cooler in and slammed the door shut, walking over to where Jackie was standing, his palm held out towards her.

"Gimme the keys." He ordered, watching her blink under his gaze. She frowned and clutched the keys almost protectively.

"Why?" She asked, eyebrow raised. Alex sighed, continuing to hold out his hand as he sent her a menacing look.

"Because, I want to drive." He rolled his eyes once more and watched her sigh. Jackie pouted as she dropped the keys in his hand, her own hand briskly rubbing against his warm one. Alex continued walking to the driver's side of the car, not once looking back at her. He climbed in and started the ignition, not really caring whether or not she was in yet. Jackie chewed on her lip, suddenly feeling nervous about this car ride. Swallowing her pride, she ran to the other side of the car, climbing in before Alex could drive off without her.

* * *

"So... uhm... are you and Chris really suspended indefinitely?" Jackie asked, even as much as she didn't want to. Alex shrugged emptily as he continued rocking back and forth inside the elevator. 

"I don't know. Cornette still needs to talk with us." He frowned and blinked when the doors opened. Jackie nodded as the two walked down the hallway.

"Did you really lie to Chris?" The blonde asked uncertainly as she stared at the ground. She felt weird asking him about it, but she needed to know. Was Alex really the type of person to lie to people and cost them their job? Alex sighed and carefully counted how many doors they were from his.

"No." He responded simply, clearly not seeing a reason as to why Jackie needed to know what happened last night. At the memories, he suddenly felt sore again. He dug around in his pocket for his card key, hoping to make a quick escape.

"Then why didn't you show up?" She continued trying to pry into his mind, hoping to gain a clear understanding. Alex clenched his jaw shut as finally approached his jaw, relief washing over him.

"Something happened." Was his last reply as he opened the door and slipped inside the darkness before Jackie could open her mouth for another question. The woman stared at the door quietly for a few moments. This was all too weird. She wanted to help Chris and Alex, she really did. But if she had to battle her feelings everytime she was around Alex, it wasn't worth it. She sighed and continued on towards her room. The way she saw it, she only had two choices. She could either try even harder to keep her feelings at bay and move on to other guys, or she could avoid Alex for the rest of this stage she was going through.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter down, yay! To be quite honest, I never intended for Jackie to be this into it, ha. But I'm not complaining, I like her. I'll be sure to figure everything out soon enough though, ha. Please R&R! 


	12. Let You Down

A/N: Soo sorry for the lack of updating. Been pretty busy. -sigh- Hopefully this makes up for making you all wait so long? Haha

* * *

"Hey, Chris!" With a tiny blink, the blue-eyed man glanced up, half-expecting Kevin to be standing there with a bat. Realizing it was Sonjay and Jay, he sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes and frowning up at them from his spot on the arm chair outside Cornette's office. This was really the last place he wanted to be and these two were the last people he wanted to see. In conclusion, he pretty much figured someone was out to get him. "We really want to talk to you." Sonjay fixed his black baseball cap and let himself sit down beside Chris, Jay placing himself on the arm of Sonjay's chair. 

"Whatever it is, somehow I highly doubt I want to hear it." Chris muttered as he drummed his fingers on his chair, eyeing the pair suspiciously. Jay raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but Sonjay quickly shushed him with his own words.

"I think you do, don't worry, this isn't anything about Alex. It's about me, you, and Jay. Me and Jay... we want to apologize to you... and Alex. We were a bit of jerks to you two and we're sorry. Honestly, we don't have any excuses for our actions, other than the fact that you were right. We're thick headed and mean and rude and we never give Alex a chance. If you're willing to forgive us, we're willing to give him a second chance." Sonjay excplained with a nod, keeping his gaze on Chris, seriousness in his eyes and voice. Chris could only stare at them. Were they being serious?

"You swear?" He asked skeptically, continuing to watch them. Both nodded, Jay a bit reluctantly, quietly eyeing Sonjay out of the corner of his eye.

"Totally. We're up for a change. We want to be better men and hopefully the rest of the locker room will follow in our footsteps." The Indian man explained in a sugar-coated voice. Jay put on his best sugary smile, although his eyes told Chris otherwise. But the dirty-blonde man ignored it. Sure they seemed uneasy about all of this, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Alright. Come to The Spot tonight at seven. I'll have Alex there for you two." He grinned, almost totally forgetting about the meeting he was about to have with Cornette. Almost.

"Perfect. See you two there!" Sonjay smiled and gave a thumbs-up before practically dragging Jay away, a smirk planted on his face and a gleam in his eye. Jay, for once, actually looked sure now, even as he wore his own two-faced smile.

* * *

"I honestly can _not_ believe that I have you two sitting here before me after I gave you a fair warning." Jim shook his head at the pair as he leaned back onto his desk, his arms crossed as he eyes them quietly. Chris studied the ground, guilt building up inside of him while Alex tried to keep his face as expressionless as possible, even as it was becoming more and more difficult with each escaping word from Jim's mouth. Instead, the dark-eyed man glanced in Jerry's direction, hoping to block out what was being said. Jerry just disappointedly shook his head at the young man he once thought had potential. Alex fought back the tears as he felt his lip quiver. He closed his eyes and stared at the ground, drawing deep breaths. "You two know how much this show means to me and to have two ruined X-Division matches in a row really breaks my heart, it does. You're giving a bad name for us out there and more and more people are tuning out instead of in. Now there's even more pressure on the other guys to do the best they can, hoping they can gain the viewers back. The viewers you two lost for us." Jim paused, thinking over what he was saying to them. He studied their faces and he almost felt sorry for them. Chris looked clearly disappointed in himself while Alex was unreadable, although he looked truely sorry. "As much as I know I'm going to regret doing this, I need to teach you two a lesson. That's why I have no other choice but to suspend you two indefinitly." His words lingered in the air and Jerry could barely stop himself in time from dropping his jaw. He was expecting this all day long, but to actually hear it in person, it felt so much more painful. He saw Alex clench his fists tightly as well as Chris slouch over. He felt bad, he really did, but they were getting what they deserved. It just pained him to see the two so vulnerable and hurt. He had watched the two transform into what they were today, and he actually thought of them as family in a twisted way. Chris was like the son learning as he walked, challenging any who came into his path. He was one the one that he couldn't help but be proud of. Then there was Alex. Jerry figured Alex was more of the type where he did his own thing and you couldn't notice him if you weren't looking. But you couldn't help but feel for him. He sighed and looked over at Jim, who was watching him unsurely. Jerry gave his boss a nod of approval. 

"Now I don't expect to see you two around here until I say you can come back, alright?" Jim watched the two as they nodded quietly, neither sure what to say. Alex was mentally screaming at himself. Why had he let Sonjay and Jay over-power him? Why didn't he just keep walking to the tunnel? Why didn't he rat out Sonjay and Jay? It wasn't so much of the fact that he had temporarily lost his job, it was more of he had cost Chris his shot at having a clean record. He swallowed the lump in his throat, but continued to refuse looking up. It was too hard. "That's all." Jim sighed, rubbing his temples slowly, regret clouding up his heart. He truely had thought that the two would work together to keep their jobs safe. It obviously back-fired on him. Chris stood up and he could barely walk to the door, his legs felt that wobbly. He shakily opened the door and went to take a step out when Jim's voice called out again. "And boys, try to stay out of trouble..." He offered a grim smile, but earned no reaction from either. Not even the hint of a reaction. Alex stuffed his hands in his pockets as he followed in Chris' footsteps outside the office. He closed the door behind them, hearing Jerry say something to Jim. But he was too frazzeled to eavesdrop.

"I'm sorry." Alex heard himself saying as he caught Chris' shoulder, hoping to shed some light on the current situation. Chris turned to face him, anger and hurt evident on his face. "What happened last night... it wasn't my fault. Trust me. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Then why did you?" Chris snapped, glaring daggers at Alex, who only averted his gaze to the ground. Chris' face was too much to bear. He swallowed nervously, unsure of how to put his words. What if he broke the news to Chris, who told Jay and Sonjay, who came after him again? He wasn't willing to take that risk.

"I didn't. Something... something came up." He shrugged emptily. He sounded pathetic and he knew it, it may of even sounded as if he were lying, which was something he really didn't want. Chris' glare didn't loosen up on him though.

"Oh yeah? What? Did you lose your knife? Or maybe you just simply forgot which way the tunnel was because you haven't been there in so long? Is that it?" Chris spat darkly, eyes blazing as fury over-came him. Alex couldn't help but stare up at him in shock, eyes wide.

"Chris, you're being impractical!" He let out, tears burning his eyes. He felt another sob work it's way up into his throat. It didn't help any that they were just outside Jim's office so a few people were staring at them. Mainly Jeff Jarret, Leticia, SoCal and a few others. Chris looked ready to jump on Alex, which made the dark eyed man wince.

"No, Alex, no! I'm nowhere near being impractical!" He screamed, reaching out and grabbing Alex's wrist. He tore the wristband off in one swift motion and pointed to the healing cuts, "_This_ is impractical! Me caring about you is impractical! Jackie loving you is impractical! Hell, your entire life is impractical! Don't turn this all around to being my fault! Face it, Alex, you're the reason for everything that's been fucked up in my life! You're the reason for everythig!" Chris continued yelling as he tightened his grip on Alex's wrist. It was all too much. Alex ripped his arm out of Chris' grasp as the tears trailed down his face. He wanted to run but he felt rooted to his spot. Tension was in the air and everybody could feel it, but no one dared to move. Chris glared a hole into Alex while Alex numbly stared at Chris through blurry eyes. "And you actually wonder why people avoid you? Because you're a life ruiner! I was all fine and dandy before I-"

"Stop it!" Alex cried out, cutting off Chris sharply. Even more tears filled his eyes as Chris continued glaring at him, disbelief written on his face. "Just stop it!" The Michigan native sniffled as he fell to his knees, holding onto his wrist as if it would cure everything. At hearing all of the commotion, a large crowd began gathering around the scene. Chris didn't need to look around to know that the majority of the locker room was standing there. With a huff, Chris turned on his heel and gazed around himself. He scanned a few people's shocked faces and at that moment, he had realized what he had done. Confusion clouded up in his head, but sorrow filled his eyes and heart as he looked back at Alex, who continued to sit on the ground, tears still racing down his face as if the crowd didn't exist. Chris allowed himself to kneel before Alex. Unsurely, he reached out to touch Alex's shoulder.

"Alex..." He mumbled, swallowing his pride as he tried his best to blink back the tears beginning to form. What had come over him? He opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly ripped to his feet. He looked up to see Kevin glaring at him, his hand still clenched on his hoodie's collar.

"What the _fuck_ is your problem!?" The bigger man exclaimed, his grip tightening and only causing Chris to freeze. He peeked behind Kevin to see Austin beside Alex, trying to calm him down. He looked out into the crowd and felt awestruck. Jackie was staring at him, eyes wide, while Christy stood beside her, emotionless. Scott Steiner, Chris Harris, James Storm, Robert Roode, Christian Cage, Tyson Tomko, AJ Styles, Chase Stevens, Andy Douglas, Christopher Daniels, Senshi, Jay, Sonjay, everybody. Hell, even Raven and Serotonin were there. Everybody was here and everybody was watching him. There was no hiding from them. They all knew. He uneasily looked back at Kevin, who was still staring at him darkly. "Answer me." Kevin growled as he ignored what everybody else was doing. Chris closed his eyes and sighed. What did he do? Where did he go from here?

"I... I don't know." He muttered quietly, eyes staring at his feet as the thoughts of what had recently happened raced back to his mind.

"So you make Alex cry and scream at him and then go and act all friendly as if you did nothing wrong and you have no reason for it?" He rhetorically asked, eyebrow shooting up. Chris kept quiet, his heart pounding in his chest. Kevin rolled his eyes as he balled his free hand into a fist. "Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't murder you right here, right now." He spat, keeping his steady gaze on Chris.

"Because you'd be fired." Jim broke the silence coming from Chris as he fought his way to the center of the crowd. Jerry was right at his heels. Kevin let go of Chris and turned to face the two men as he crossed his arms stiffly across his chest. Jim eyed Kevin suspiciously for a few moments before looking at Chris, "I thought I told you to get out of here."

"I was..." Chris mumbled, keeping his eyes fixed on his feet as he felt more and more regret formed and imbedded itself inside of him. He still couldn't figure out what had caused him to snap at Alex. Jim frowned as he spotted the confusion on Chris' face. With a sigh, he crossed his arms loosely and eyed Alex out of the corner of his eye.

"I want you two out of my building _now_. This isn't something I want to deal with. You two want to fight so badly? Go find a bar." He ordered, pointing at the hallway to the parking lot. Chris licked his dry lips as he turned on his heel slowly, making his way towards the hallway as a million questions buzzed in his head. Jim turned his full attention on Alex, who still hadn't moved an inch, but had at least calmed down enough to stop crying and just sit there red-eyed. The younger man bit down on his lip while Austin continued to hug him. Kevin studied his two friends quietly, feeling ready to kill something. "That means you, too." He watched Austin look up in shock.

"But, Jim-" The Wisconsin native was cut off briskly.

"Austin, keep your mouth shut. Alex, get out." Jim once again pointed to the hall. Austin reluctantly watched Alex stand up and trudge to the hallway, ignoring all of the looks he was earning from everybody. Kevin shook his head as he opened his mouth once Alex was gone.

"Jim, you're being unfair." He stated gruffly as Austin stood up, dusting himself off and walking over to Kevin's side. Jim glared at Kevin.

"And you're being rude." He shot back before focusing his entire attention on the rather large crowd, "That's it, show's over. Nothing to see here, people!" He yelled out, clapping his hands together loudly. Some people groaned while others stayed silent, but nontheless, they all left. When they were all gone, Jerry shook his head, placing his hand on Jim's shoulder when Jim tried walking back to his office.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" He questioned curiously, frowning deeply. Jim only shrugged his friend's hand off.

"Don't start with me." Was all he said before storming into his office, leaving Jerry alone.

* * *

Jackie frowned as she eyed Christy quietly. The red head let herself collapse beside the blonde on the bench inside the women's locker room. They were the last two there, with Jackie telling SoCal and Gail that they would meet up with them later. Tracy had gone off with Rob somewhere while Jacqueline mysteriously disappeared. Christy leaned back with a giggle as she let her head rest in Jackie's lap, staring up at her friend with a grin. 

"He was soo amazing. I swear, I don't think I've ever met anyone like him before. Thanks so much for making me give him a chance, Jacks." Christy sighed dreamily, eyes glazing over at the memories of last night. After her and Austin had abandoned Jackie and Alex, they had gone out to the nearest restaraunt, and to Christy it was perfect.

"Yeah, what are friends for?" Jackie half-heartedly smiled down at Christy, who continued to beam.

"But after all that time of him begging me and hitting on me, I would've thought that he'd want things to go further than they did... y'know?" The red head sat up and pushed her hair back from her face with a frown. "Not that I'm complaining cause everyone knows that I don't sleep with someone on the first day, or the second. Unless, of course, there's something undenyable about us and I'm really really into him. I just don't want to screw up so early in the relationship. I was surprised when he kissed me." She giggled again, watching as Jackie raised an eyebrow. "I never would've thought Austin Starr was one for romance. Maybe you were right when you told me people change. I swear, I'm in debt to you!" Christy threw her arms around Jackie in a tight hug, smiling proudly. Jackie nodded, hugging her back only slightly. She desperately wanted to be happy for her friend, but she couldn't tear her mind away from Chris and Alex. There was just so much drama that she didn't know what to do anymore. "You're going out with us all tonight, right?" Christy suddenly changed the subject, skipping over to the mirror to fluff up her hair.

"Uhm..." Jackie slowly blinked, not getting what Christy was asking of her at first. She nodded after a few moments, "Yeah. I am."

"Good. I want to introduce you to Austin, one on one." Christy winked before strolling out of the locker room, leaving Jackie by herself.

* * *

Chris yawned as he stretched out his back, staring at his coffee boredly. Where the hell was Alex anyway? He had been sitting here inside the local coffee shop, The Spot, for almost an hour. Alex _had_ gotten his text message, didn't he? Yeah, he replied. Chris groaned and checked his cell phone for the fiftieth time. Actually, where were Jay and Sonjay? Did all three of them flat out ditch him? He stared at the table, another yawn threatening to escape. At feeling someone else's presence, he let a smile form and he looked up. "About damn time!" He smirked but let his face fall at not seeing Alex there. Instead, Kevin sat infront of him, a frown deeply placed on his face as he stared at Chris menacingly. 

"Sorry, didn't know we had a date." He sarcastically muttered, rolling his eyes as he clasped his hands together on the table. Chris swallowed nervously.

"I was uhm... waiting for my sister." He blinked, his face becoming puzzeled as he said this. Kevin only stared at him, disbelief still clearly readable on his face.

"I didn't know Alex was your sister." He smirked, though it soon disappeared. Chris went to open his mouth, but stopped. Kevin didn't seem as perky and witty as he was the other night. He swallowed nervously.

"Uhm... Is something wrong?" Chris slowly asked, eyeing Kevin up and down slowly, anticipating what the bigger guy would say next. Kevin nodded curtly as he rubbed his temples silently. He continued frowning, thinking over his words.

"Actually, yeah, there is something wrong. Look, I know what's going on between you and Alex." He stopped briefly before continuing on, "Although I don't like it, or you, I'm going to accept it. Alex's my best friend and well, simply put, you hurt him, I'm going to make you regret ever being born." Kevin glared, watching as Chris blinked blankly. The dirty-blonde man felt his throat run dry. Alex told Kevin about them? "I don't need anyone to fill me in on what's going on, because when something's that obvious, I can tell. Alex is starting to perk up a bit. He even went to the beach with Austin yesterday. But then today happened and I haven't seen him this miserable in a long time. Yeah, he's been upset, but not this badly. He really trusted you, Chris, and you ripped it all away from him. I know I sound harsh and maybe unfair in your eyes, but I'm just looking out for Alex. I hate seeing him hurt, and if you're one of the reasons for him being so miserable, I won't even hesitate to hurt you. So basically, you'd better watch out where you take your next step today, because if I ever see even the hint of hurt back in Alex's eyes, your ass is mine." The much bigger man warned, glaring into Chris' wide blue eyes. The smalled man nodded quietly as Kevin's words echoed in his mind. He sat there in silence, Kevin's narrowed eyes still entirely focused on him. As Chris repeated what Kevin had said for the twentieth time, a question popped in his mind.

"If... If you knew about everything, then why didn't you try and help him?" Chris inquired slowly, a puzzeled expression forming on his face as he put together the pieces. Kevin studied Chris for a bit, quickly thinking over his words.

"Because I knew that this was something he needed to do on his own. He's an adult, Chris, not some kid on the street. He can fight his own battles, I know he can, and that's why I have faith in him through all of this. You say you do, but you don't. If you really trusted him, you'd know that he would never do anything so stupid such as killing himself. You just gotta believe and shove away the negativity." Kevin shrugged, furrowing his eyebrows together as he said this. Chris nodded, his eyebrow raised in question.

"Thanks..." He unsurely replied as Kevin pushed himself away from the table. With that being said and done, he stood up and strolled to the door just as Alex was walking in. The two-toned haired man didn't even seem to recognize Kevin as he passed him, just sat down across from Chris silently. "Hey." Chris tried to smile, but it failed and he could only stare at Alex dully. Alex nodded, eyeing up a few people at a random table. Chris took a deep breath. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I didn't mean to snap at you or anything. I was just stressed because of everything. And you weren't giving me straight answers and I didn't know what to believe." He admitted, settling for staring at Alex's face pleadingly. He tried his best to ignore everything except Alex, hoping he would see through the lines and actually understand where he was coming from.

"I should've listened to Kevin." Alex muttered and shuddered when he felt Chris touch his hand. He pulled back and continued to stare away from him, his eyes becoming distant as his mind wandered in thought for a few moments. The pair sat in silence until Chris opened his mouth again.

"What did Kevin say?" He asked curiously, raising his eyebrow as he stared at Alex expectantly. Alex shrugged and finally let his attention focus on the table.

"He told me not to waste my time with you." He mumbled quietly, letting his hair fall over his eyes as he began to absent mindedly peel at his chipped black nail polish. He bit down on his lip and continued staring at the table. Chris felt his heart pick up speed as he gazed at Alex's face, silently hoping he was joking. Obviously, by the uneasy way Alex was acting, he wasn't.

"I don't blame him. I haven't exactly done much to help you, huh? If anything, I've made things worse." He admitted, pursing his lips in thought as he watched people walk by outside. Alex looked up at Chris after that and he silently shook his head.

"No, actually I've liked it. Yeah, it's been confusing as hell, but it's better than nothing." He shrugged again, frowning as he watched Chris offer a tiny smile. "I'm new to all of this and I have so many different people telling me so many different things. Kevin tells me to forget you and then you go and waste your time to be with me. I'm just... confused and I don't know, it's weird." He sighed, slouching down in his seat as he eyed Chris.

"Yeah." The dirty-blonde man agreed, going back to watching his coffee from earlier. The two sat in another silence until the door opened and two familiar looking men walked in. "Hey!" Chris grinned as he waved Sonjay and Jay over, motioning to the two empty chairs beside both him and Alex. Alex turned slowly and his eyes widened, quickly turning back to face Chris. "Uhm, hope you don't mind... but I kinda invited Sonjay and Jay, too. They want to talk to you." Chris chewed on his lip as he spotted Alex's shocked look. The dark eyed man let out a nervous chuckled as he nodded, eyes still wide as his mind screamed at him to leave. Instead, he sat there and gripped onto his chair stiffly, hoping to push away all of his fear of the two.

"Hey guys!" Sonjay chirped cheerily as he plopped down beside Alex, Jay sitting across from him quietly, but grinning like a lunatic. Chris smiled at his two friends. They sure seemed cheery, but he pushed his thoughts aside. Sonjay turned his attention on Alex, a sympathetic expression overcoming his grin. "Hey, 'lex. Look, I know me and Jay have been jerks to you in the past, but we just want you to know that we never meant any of it. We were just being idiots, y'know, goofing around and whatnot. If we ever hurt you in any way, we're sorry. Guess we get out of control." With a tiny laugh, Sonjay continued on, "No hard feelings?" Alex swallowed nervously, glancing between the three of them. Jay and Sonjay seemed sorry and Chris was sitting there, nodding his head. With a regrettable sigh, Alex curtly nodded to them.

"Uhm... yeah, no hard feelings." He raised his eyebrows up, placing a tiny smile on his face as if it would convince himself that last night never happened. Chris grinned while Sonjay and Jay beamed.

"Great! I would really hate it if you took our stupidity the wrong way." With a final wink, Sonjay turned his attention back to Chris, "So tell me, what's up between you and little Miss Gayda?" Sonjay once again winked, elbowing Chris suggestively. Jay snatched Chris' coffee, taking a sip as he joined Sonjay in the prying. Chris shook his head, still smiling as a wave of relief washed over him.

"Ha, nothing, guys. We're just friends." He assured them, although his mind, as well as his heart, told him otherwise. As much as he wanted to believe what he had just said, he couldn't. Yeah, the two had come to a common ground, but he couldn't help but have a bit of doubt in her. He knew it was mean, but he didn't feel that way purposely. It just seemed too perfect for Jackie to want Chris to have Alex. He tried to convince himself that he was being stupid, but it didn't work. Something inside of him wouldn't let Jackie's confession go unheard.

"Yeah, sure. We saw you two sneak off at Jeff's party and then in the catering room, you left us for her. You two are spending a lot of time together." Jay piped up as a huge grin formed, "I think she likes you." It was his turn to wink and Chris felt his face drop. He pushed his hair back and stared at Alex almost longingly. Why did it seem like lately everything eventually led back to Jackie and Alex? Couldn't Jay and Sonjay pick a less confusing topic? Like... UFO's or alien encounters? Maybe even how Earth came to be. Chris was almost certain that having Sonjay list the entire Indian dictionary would be more entertaining than for Chris to have once again, battle how he felt inside about all of this.

"Nah, somehow, I highly doubt Jackie likes me." Chris waved Jay off with an uneasy roll of his eyes, "But what about you guys? Any girlfriends I don't know about?" He let a grin form, hoping this changed the subject, even just a little. Jay and Sonjay both sighed in unison, almost like they planned it.

"Nope." Sonjay replied dully, "There's not one available chick on the roster and even if they were, none of them appeal to me. I mean, Tracy's got Robert. SoCal and Leticia are too experienced for my liking. Christy has Austin. Gail has Chris. Jacqueline, I think, has James, not entirely sure about that rumor or not. And then Jackie has you and I don't want to step onto your territory, bud." With a chuckle Sonjay slumped his shoulders, taking his own sip of Chris' coffee. Jay nodded in agreement with everything his best friend was saying.

"Oh." Chris replied blankly, not even bothering to defend his and Jackie's relationship again. It just wasn't worth it anymore. Nothing would change how these two thought. Alex continued to sit there uncomfortably, staring at the table as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever laid his eyes upon. "What about you, 'lex?" He questioned, deciding he should let Alex join in the conversation. Alex blinked as he glanced around at the trio watching him. To be honest, he wasn't really following their discussion.

"No?" He answered uneasily, raising his eyebrow as if to question himself. Sonjay and Jay nodded while Chris gave Alex a small smile.

"Looks like we're all lame losers, minus Chris. You should really ask Jackie out. I think she'd say yes." Sonjay once again looked at Chris. With a sigh, Chris shook his head. Was Sonjay purposely doing this? Was he able to, like, read his mind or something?

"Guys, really. I don't think I'm her type anyway. She'd rather go out with someone like... Jeff or maybe even Scott. Not me." He tried waving them off, wanting this conversation to be over.

"Pfft, explains why she's always hanging around you. Man, if I had a hot chick like that following me around like a lost puppy, I'd already be doing her. You have her wrapped around your finger and you're just brushing it off like it's nothing. Tell me you're gay." Sonjay pleaded, practically throwing himself at Chris. Alex almost choked on his air at this, staring at Chris blankly. Chris blinked as his heart picked up speed, even if it was just a joke. He laughed quietly, hoping it would cover his nervousness.

"Sorry, man, I don't swing that way. Look, Jackie's Jackie. To me, she's just my friend. Can we leave it at that?" Chris slowly pushed Sonjay away from him, sighing to himself. Alex went back to watching people, tuning out the conversation once again. Jay was too busy swirling Chris' coffee around to really notice or hear anything. Sonjay nodded, skepitcally watching Chris.

"Alright, alright. Since you're one of my best friends, I'll believe ya." He laughed and playfully shoved Chris. He glanced at the clock, his eyes widening. "Shit, me and Jay gotta run. We have to go work on our match, make sure it's pefect for next week. Be sure to call me everyday of your suspension, got it?" Sonjay stood up, as well as Jay. Chris nodded his head, his smile returning to his face.

"Got it." He confirmed, watching Sonjay nod. Saying their byes, both ran off before anybody could say another word. Chris watched Alex for a few moments, hoping he would say something. When he didn't, he opened his own mouth. "See? They're not that bad. They're actually trying to clean up their act a bit. Y'know, be nicer." Chris nodded his head at Alex. Alex only nodded back silently. The pair seemed sincere, but he couldn't help but notice the odd look in Jay's eyes and the weird way Sonjay was so perky. It was just weird, a little _too_ nice to be normal.

* * *

A/N: Ha, for some reason, I find it kinda funny how both Chris and Alex's friends all think that they're with Jackie (besides Kevin, but shh). Please R&R. 


	13. I'm With You

A/N: Ahh, school. Don'tcha miss it? Pfft, no. Ugh, ew. Great. Something else to lack the flow of updates. Sigh. Anyone willing to take my place in class? Haha. Huuge sorry to the long wait and that I couldn't get around to replying to everyone, school takes up most of my life now, unfortunately and then I've just kind of drifted away from here. But would a hug make up for it? A huuge one? Ha. Also, ignore the spelling mistakes, way too rushed and tired to properly check them, sorry. Don't hate me...

* * *

Kevin moaned into his pillow, turning on his side and squeezing his eyes shut, silently begging for sleep to come back to him. He could hear Austin noisily sleeping on the couch, most likely ready to clash to the floor, which he did just about every morning. With a sigh, he sat up slowly, glancing over at the other bed, where Alex was curled up in a ball silently. Rubbing his forehead, Kevin swung his legs over the side of the bed, letting a yawn escape. He slammed his hand onto the alarm clock, instantly causing it to shut off it's annoying beeping. Austin would be up soon enough and Alex... well he needed all of the sleep he could get. But he could tell that something had actually gone right with Chris last night. Shaking his head, he stood up and made his way to the kitchen area, searching for something to satisfy his growling stomach. 

"Yeah, I'd like some butter on the side, thanks sweetie." Kevin stopped what he was doing and poked his head into the other room to notice Austin mumbling in his sleep. Rolling his eyes, Kevin went back to looking for food, trying to ignore what the Wisconsin native was blabbing on and on about. "I said no pickels, dammit!"

"Shut up, already." At Alex's voice, Kevin dropped the box of cereal he had found and looked back into the room to find Alex swatting Austin away, his face still buried in his pillow and eyes still shut. Amused, the tall man leaned against the wall, watching for a few moments. Austin said something else and went to roll over, only to become fast friends with the floor.

"Ow..." The dark-haired man grumbled, rubbing his shoulder painfully. He shot a glance around the room, blinking as he looked at Kevin. "Heya buddy!" He offered a grin and collected himself from the floor, rubbing the back of his head. "What's so funny?" He frowned suddenly, his arms dangling uselessly at his sides.

"Nothing." Kevin let out a soft chuckle and shook his head, going back to the kitchen for his food hunt. Austin raised an eyebrow and looked in Alex's direction, seeing him still asleep. With a shrug, he followed Kevin.

"Guess who scored a smokin' hot date with one of the most available chicks around?" The shorter man smirked in triumph as he grabbed an apple, leaning against the counter happily. Kevin looked at him, a smirk of his own on his face.

"Finally got into Hemme's skirt, eh? Congratulations." He nodded in Austin's direction, picking up the cereal and tearing it open, not really paying attention to what it was.

"Uhm... well, no. Not exactly. But close! We're kinda sorta going on a double date tonight..." Austin trailed off slowly, looking up at Kevin hopefully. The older man raised an eyebrow at Austin, not bothering to ask any questions.

"No." He tossed the cereal box back into the pantry, still searching for something to eat. Austin frowned after biting into his apple.

"C'mon, man. It'll be me and Christy and Jackie freakin' Gayda. What more could you possibly want in a woman?" Austin said with a shake of his head, munching on the apple sourly. Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Still no. I wouldn't care if it was Halle freakin' Berry. The answer's still no. Ask Alex. Him and Jackie get along well enough." Kevin shrugged and gave up searching for food, deciding they had absolutely nothing in their pantry. Austin glared at Kevin at first, but his expression softened and he looked almost in thought.

"I don't know. I kinda figured after that whole scene with Chris... he wouldn't... want to go out... or something." Austin lowered his voice and averted his attention to his apple, watching it as if it would jump out of his hand and do a flip before walking away. Kevin stopped moving and studied Austin's calm face and clouded up eyes. He sighed.

"Man, I think the thing he needs most right now is to be with people who care. You and Jackie are perfect. He really needs to get his mind off of that guy, the only thing he seems to be doing lately is making him more and more upset. Kind of worrying me..." Kevin ran a hand through his hair, still watching Austin. The other man nodded, chewing on his lip skeptically.

"You really think so?"

"I know so." Kevin nodded, licking his lips as he waited to hear Alex move around, only to hear stillness. He had probably went back to sleep. "Look, I'm gonna head down to Christian's room, see if he has any food, cause all we have is Alex's cereal and your apples, really. I'll be back." He shook his head and made his way to the door, not expecting an answer from Austin. The Wisconsin native sighed and took another bite of his apple before tossing it into the garbage and crossing his arms, making his way to the bathroom for a much wanted shower.

Just as Alex was sure he was about to fall asleep after hearing his two friends talk about him, a knock at the door distracted him. Cautiously, he opened one eye and then the other, peeking around the room. The only thing he heard was the water running and Austin's off-key singing, as well as the continuous knocking from the door. He sighed and slumped his shoulders, unraveling himself from the blankets and standing up, a bit wobbly.

"I'm coming, I'm coming..."

Still the knocking continued. Alex sighed in frustration, opening the door slowly, not really caring who was on the other end. But the person standing there now certainly caught him off-guard. Chris stood there, hands jammed into his jeans pockets as his head bowed to the floor, chewing on his lip almost as if he were nervous.

"Chris..." Alex stared, eyes wide. To be honest, he didn't think Chris would willingly show up here, especially with Kevin on the prowl for him. "W-what are you doing here?" Chris glanced up slowly, peeking over Alex's shoulder quietly. A wave of relief rushed over him at not seeing Kevin, but he frowned at hearing the shower. Drawing a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Uhm... I was just wondering if you wanted to... uh..." He stopped talking, kicking the floor with his toe with a sigh. He opened his mouth again and quickly shut it, trying to word together what he was trying to get at. After a few moments, he tried to act confident and looked up to meet Alex's unsteady gaze. "Look, you wanna go to the mall?" Alex blinked as Chris once again looked at the floor.

"The... mall?" He slowly blinked, not entirely sure if he had heard him correctly. Chris nodded, a bit hesitant.

"I don't know... I was just curious, seeing as we're suspended and all and everyone else'll be working. Besides, there's a sale going on at Pac Sun." He tried to grin, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat, but he still felt a little stressed. Alex raised his eyebrow, trying to comprehend what Chris was exactly getting at.

"So you came here... at practically eleven A.M. knowing Kevin would most likely be here to rip you apart limb from limb... just to see if I wanted to go to the mall...?" He asked this slowly, still not totally sure if he were understanding this. Chris nodded, looking somewhat eager.

"So you wanna go?" He raised his eyebrows, hope flickering through his eyes. Alex frowned, staring down at his feet as he thought this over. He had only planned on sitting around today, sleeping and just in general thinking. "Please? For me? I wanna make it up to you." Chris continued to stare at Alex, desperation edging in his voice. Alex looked up to meet his gaze reluctantly. They stood there for a few moments, neither sure what to say next.

"Fine. Just give me a few minutes to shower and get changed." Alex shrugged limply, watching as Chris grinned in relief. "But... I'd suggest waiting downstairs, Kevin's not thrilled with you and he might be on his way back sometime soon. Don't know where he went exactly..." Alex bit his lip, watching Chris silently. The dirty-blonde man nodded.

"Alright. I'll see you in twenty?" He started to back away from Alex with a tiny shrug. Alex nodded as well and closed the door, still biting his lip. Part of him wanted to go with Chris, but the other part of him had a weird feeling it wouldn't end up so well.

* * *

"Jackie!... Jackie!... _Jackie_!... JACKIE!" The blonde practically jumped out of her own skin, stumbling over and spilling to the floor, heart pounding wildly in her chest. Wide brown eyes slowly gazed up to meet frustrated blue ones. Jackie placed a hand over her heart and leaned back against the wall, licking her dry lips as she rubbed her forehead tiredly. 

"Uhm... Yeah, Christy?" Jackie nervously sat on the floor, her back up against the wall as her body hid beneath the blankets behind her bed. Christy stood on the other side of the bed, hands clenched into fists placed onto her hips. In each fist was a dress.

"For the millionth time, We have a date with Austin and one of his friends and I have _nothing_ to wear!" The red head groaned dropping the dresses and throwing herself onto Jackie's bed, cupping her chin with her hand with a pout, chewing on her lip in thought. Jackie blinked slowly but pushed the hair out of her face, beginning to calm down a bit, although she knit her eyebrows together in confusion at hearing she was going tonight as well.

"Just wear that black dress you got last week." Jackie suggested with a shrug, raising an eyebrow. Christy frowned as she tried to remember what dress she was talking about.

"Ugh, Jacks, that's so last week. Plus, I don't want to wear black tonight..." Christy sighed, slumping her shoulders. Jackie frowned as well, staring at her best friend incrediously.

"What about those jeans you love so much with a nice red top? That'll look good." The blonde twirled her hair around her finger, tilting her head to the side. Christy once again looked in thought. Almost instantly, she shook her head.

"Nah. Tonight's special, not casual. I wanna look sexy sexy, not sexy casual." The red head groaned, letting her head collapse into the mattress pathetically, her hair spilling out of it's bun as she pouted. Jackie shifted position so that she was on her knees. She cocked her head to the side even more, trying to peek at Christy's face for something to help her out. She broke out into a small smile at thinking of something.

"What about that really pretty red dress you got the other day? You haven't worn it and plus, it looks really good." Jackie continued smiling while Christy slowly looked up, blinking.

"Yes! Jackie, I love you!" The red head bounced up, throwing her arms around Jackie in a hug. She jumped to her feet and raced over to her closet, throwing clothing left and right frantically, searching for that particular dress. Jackie stood up, smoothing down her hair as she straightened out her white thank top and walked to the closet as well, quietly looking around at the hundreds of outfits Christy had. "It's perfect!" Christy shouted out with a giggle, holding the dress up to herself, glancing at the full-length mirror. She practically skipped over to the bed and laid the dress down, pulling her hair back into a bun again. "What are you wearing?"

"Uh... I don't know. Haven't really had... time to think about it, y'know?" The blonde slowly shook her head, chewing on her lip as she glanced away from Christy. What she would give for a nice hot shower right about now, and a nice cup of Starbucks' coffee. The idea made her groan in slight aggrivation. Christy ignored it though, spinning in a circle with the dress pressed up against her thin body.

"I really think you should wear that white dress with the sparkly bra. Made you look sexy and mysertious." Christy nodded eagerly over in her friend's direction, humming to herself as she carefully put the dress back on it's hanger, smoothing it down with a satsfied smile. Jackie shrugged, playing with her hair almost as if she were nervous.

"It makes me look like a hooker, Christy." She shook her head once more, feeling her cheeks slightly burn at the thought, as well as memories about wearing that dress on national television. Christy frowned, raising an eyebrow at Jackie.

"Fine, what about that cute little skirt and the white thank top that you wore the other day? I liked it." The red head pursed her lips in thought, studying Jackie rather intently, almost as if she were trying to picture her in the said outfit. Jackie offered a small shrug.

"I dunno, I guess so." She watched Christy cross her arms across her stomach, blinking quietly. The pair stood in silence, neither sure where to go next. Jackie finally let out a tiny sigh. "I'm gonna go take a shower, I'll be back." With that, she turned on her heel and strolled over towards the bathroom, much to her relief. She loved Christy to death, but honestly, her kind of morning didn't involve searching for an outfit to wear on a date that she had no idea was taking place.

* * *

"Glad, you came?" Chris taunted with a smirk, turning to face Alex as the escalator continued to move upwards inside the rather large mall. Honestly, he didn't know why they had come here, but they had a good PacSun, which was always good. Letting out a soft chuckle at the thought, he continued to watch Alex stare ahead of himself. 

"Can't say." Alex replied shortly, focusing his attention elsewhere at the given moment. He watched as a few people recognized the pair, rapidly pointing their accusing fingers in the two men's direction. Sighing quietly, he looked back at Chris. "I don't even know what came over you that made you want to come here today of all days. It's like freakin' teeny land." He rolled his dark eyes in disgust at the thought, crossing his arms loosely across his fitting black tee. Chris shrugged casually, stepping off of the moving staircase and waiting for Alex to catch up to his short strides.

"'lex, this is called a _mall_. Teenagers are here everyday of their lives. Duh." He laughed good naturedly as he shook his head, smirking when a young girl spotted the two, jumping up and down excitedly. He stuffed his hands in his cargo pants' pockets, humming under his breath. He still wasn't totally sure if today was going well or not. After being glared at by Alex the entire car ride, having to sign dozens of autographs, being stalked tremendous times and getting completely lost after making a wrong turn out of PacSun, he was pretty certain things couldn't get much hectic.

"So... uh, how are Sonjay and Jay?" The two-toned haired man asked, glancing up to meet Chris' preoccupied gaze. Blinking blankly for a moment, Chris looked at Alex out of the corner of his eye with a tiny shrug.

"Good, really glad things are cleard up between us now. They've been through everything with me." He smiled, turning his head to better study Alex, only to catch him suddenly scowling at him. Raising his eyebrow quickly, he opened his mouth to continue, "What?"

"Nothing." Alex shook his head, looking away with still narrowed eyes. He ignored his hair spilling over his eyes, but he couldn't help but be snappy with Chris at that minute. _Sonjay_ and _Jay_ had been through everything with him? Where were they when Chris got lost in ShopRite when his mom turned her back on him for one second and _Alex_ found him in the ceral aisle pouring Cheerios all over the place? Where were they when Chris' dog ran away and he showed up at _Alex's_ house at two A.M, sobbing his seven year old eyes out? Where were they when Chris got so drunk that he couldn't stand and _Alex_ was stuck dragging his sorry ass back home in the pouring rain. Growling in the back of his throat, Alex clenched his hands into tight fists.

"Uh... alright, then." Chris rubbed the back of his neck quietly, turning his eyes away from Alex and over ahead of himself, frowning to himself. Was Alex _jealous_ of Sonjay and Jay? Snorting at the thought, the dirty-blonde haired man sped up his pace, deciding to turn this conversation around. "So how's good ole Kev and Austin?"

"Fine." Alex didn't even glance at Chris or think about his response. Instead, he jammed his fists into his jean's pockets, remaining practically lost in thought. Chris opened his mouth to continue, only to stop himself and let out a small sigh. He suddenly stopped, trying to put on a natural smile as he reached out to stop Alex from walking as well, looking at him with wide eyes. "What?" Alex raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Chris oddly as he crossed his arms stiffly across his chest.

"You see what I see?" The blue-eyed man continued to hold up his uneasy grin while Alex looked away blankly, not entirely sure if he wanted to see what Chris saw. But he was pretty sure that he would never be able to see things the way Chris did.

"Uh... Claire's?"

Chris furrowed his eyebrows slightly, but shook his head, eagerly hitting Alex's chest as if it would help him in guessing.

"...A prostitute?"

Alex snorted suddenly, watching a blonde woman quietly for a few moments, trying to decide if she was actually wearing anything underneath that wanna-be skirt and top. Chris shook his head once more.

"I'll give you a hint. We're standing in it." He now nodded, placing his hands on his hips, deciding this was ultimately better than having Alex most likely pissed off at him. Alex shrugged lamely, sighing.

"The mall?"

"Well, _duh_." Chris raised an eyebrow. When Alex remained silent, still not finding anything amazing about where they were, it was Chris' turn to sigh, only in defeat, as he reached out and grabbed Alex's face, turning it away from him and ahead of himself. Alex twisted his cheeks out of Chris' firm grip, batting his hands away with a glare.

"The food court?" He ran his fingers through his hair, taking a small step to the side, not entirely sure what Chris was planning on doing to him next. The other man nodded, smiling as if food would solve anything and everything.

"Yep. And guess what? I just so happen to be hungry. Gee, what a coincidence. Let's go." Without hesitation, he grabbed Alex's wrist, dragging him over to a nearby Nathan's. Alex frowned as he was dragged along. Why was Chris being so perky all of a sudden. One minute he was nice and quiet and he actually liked him and the next he was... well, Chris again. The pair stood at the counter for a few moments, watching as three girls continuously flirted with the cashier, even if it seemed as though they were getting absolutely nowhere with him. Chris turned to roll his eyes at Alex, who ignored it, watching the scene unfold before him quietly for a bit. To say the girls looked like total whores would be an understatement and to say the guy looked interested would be an even bigger lie. Shaking his head in annoyance, Alex looked elsewhere, occupying himself with some old man sitting at a table by his lonesome.

"Welcome to Nathan's, how can I help you?" The cashier seemed to sigh in relief at spotting Chris and Alex, quickly ignoring the girls, who were all giggling insanely and holding up a cup full of ice. Chris glanced at the girls before turning to the man, eyes scanning the menu before opening his mouth.

"I'll just get a large fry and a Pepsi. You want anything, 'lex?" He turned to look at Alex, who turned to meet his gaze.

"Water for me." He shrugged before going back to the old man. Nodding, Chris turned back to the cashier.

"And a water." He smiled when the other man hurriedly went to fetch their order. Within two minutes, everything was sitting on a tray, ready to be whisked away. Smiling, Chris handed him the money, as well as tip. "Good luck with... _them_." Winking, he laughed and picked up the tray, nudging Alex slightly as he went to find a table, the two-toned haired man trailing behind quietly.

"To be honest, I haven't been here in forever." The dirty-blonde man laughed almost nervously as he popped a fry in his mouth with a sincere nod. Alex turned his attention on the other man quietly for a few moments before calmly opening his water bottle with a slight frown. Chris frowned as well at not hearing a response from Alex. Swallowing the fry, he opened his mouth to continue. "Y'know, being suspended opens a lot of doors for us. We don't have to show up for work, we don't have to deal with other people, we don't have to put our bodies on the line night after night after night, we-"

"-I'm stuck with you." Alex harshly cut him off, narrowing his eyes slightly as he took a tiny sip from his water bottle, leaning back in his chair before looking away. Chris blinked at hearing this, letting his arm rest on the table as he studied Alex quizzically. That was certainly unexpected. Slumping his shoulders, clearly defeated, Chris lowered his gaze to the food. After a few moments of silence between the two, he raised his eyes to meet Alex's distracted ones.

"Hey, 'lex..." He started off slowly, chewing on his lip slowly, not entirely sure what to say after Alex's rude comment. When Alex's dark eyes finally connected with Chris' blue ones, Chris felt his heart stop and body stiffen. He lost his train of thought sudden and he opened his mouth as if he were a fish. This only caused Alex to raise his eyebrow somewhat blankly. "What does life mean to you?" The words tumbled out of Chris' mouth and floated in the air tiredly and in jumbled heaps. Chris swallowed nervously, quickly averting his gaze. Alex, however, blinked.

"I... I don't know." He shrugged, letting his hands rest in his lap as he studied the table, not entirely sure where that had come from. Chris nodded half-heartedly, letting out a soft sigh. He felt as if he were fighting a losing battle with himself. Rubbing his forehead, Chris took an unwanted sip of his drink. Another silence filled the air while they uneasily did their own thing; Alex staring ahead of himself and Chris taking long sips of his soda.

"Great day this is turning out to be, huh?" The Detroit native heaved another sigh as he placed his drink back onto the table, raising an eyebrow at Alex, who shrugged carelessly.

"Could be worse."

"How so?" This caused Chris to raise his eyebrow again, blinking rapidly.

"I could always be left dying in a dumpster somewhere with you out on the loose." Alex shrugged once more while Chris continued to stare at him curiously, as well as a bit oddly, seeing as that was completely and utterly random. "I'm bored, alright? My mind goes into overdrive when I get this bored." Chris nodded as if he understood what Alex was saying. He must've got bored a lot. Chewing on his lip, he took a long drink of his soda. Suddenly, an idea came to him and he smirked, sitting up straight.

"Hey 'lex..."

"No, I don't know what death means to me, Chris." Alex rolled his eyes while Chris brushed off his comment as if he never even opened his sly mouth.

"You ever been in a dressing room before?" Chris perched his chin on his hand, while his elbow rested on the table. Alex slowly blinked, unsure if he heard that right.

"Yeah..." At his uneasy answer, Chris stood up, grabbing Alex's wrist.

"Well not with me you haven't."

* * *

"Jacks, calm down, everything'll go just _fine_." Christy shook her head at her friend, her red locks spilling over her thin shoulder as she did so. Irritably, she pushed her hair back, watching as Jackie rubbed her forehead with a slight moan. 

"Christy, I feel like crap. There's no way I'm going out tonight. What if... What if I throw up - in front of Alex? Ohh." The blonde buried her face in her hands, letting herself fall back onto her bed with a frown. "Just get SoCal or Gail to go. Please?"

"But-"

"_Please_?"

"What if-"

"Christy."

"But I can just-"

"Christy!"

"What if we only-"

"_Christy_."

"Fine. Sorry. Look, I'll just call Austin and let him know that it'll be me, him and Alex. But if I get raped and left for dead, it's on your conscience." The red head warned with a wagging finger. Reluctantly, she peeled herself off of the corner of Jackie's bed, eyeing her friend suspiciously. She was fine this morning. But her stomach had been bothering her a bit too as of late. Maybe it was just some virus going around? Shurring absently, she leaned over to give Jackie a small hug. "I'll be back later. Be sure to take some medicine, alright, sweetie?"

"Yes, mother." Jackie rolled her eyes before closing them, heaving out a large, exasperated sigh. At this, Christy plucked out her cell phone from her pocket and strode towards the door, deciding to call Austin and let him know of the unfortunate news, totally unaware that he would be telling her that they would be Alex-less as well.

* * *

"Come on, but you've got to!" Chris pouted at Alex pathetically, watching as the other man defiantly shook his head, nose wrinkling in disgust at the object occupying Chris' hand. "I did, so you've gotta." 

"I am _not_ putting that one. I don't care what you say or do." Alex rolled his eyes, keeping his arms stiffly crossed across his chest, slightly shivering at the thought of being forced to wear the low-cut, sparkly forest green halter dress Chris had somehow stumbled upon in his mad quest for clothing. He didn't even know why he had gone into the dressing room without a fight. But wearing that thing was something he simply would _not_ stand for. Chris gazed down at the dress, then back at Alex.

"No one'll see. I just wanna see how you look in it. I've got a... uh, manly looking sister and I want to make sure this fits her right. Her uh... prom's coming up." He not-so smoothly lied with an honest nod. Alex rolled his eyes once again.

"You do not." He scoffed, tapping his foot impatiently against the rug. "Now can we get out of here? People are gonna be wondering what we're doing in here..." He raised an eyebrow at Chris smirked, holding the dress up tauntingly while he leaned against the door.

"Wear the dress so I can laugh like you did to me or we're staying in here all night long." His smirk continued to grow while Alex's gaze hardened. The two studied each other for a few moments, both thinking about their options carefully.

"No." Alex shook his head, arching his back as he said so, licking his lips with a small shrug. Chris glared at Alex, grabbing the dress even tighter, growing frustrated. Without warning, he lunged at Alex, pinning him up against the wall.

"Look, you will wear this god damn dress or so help me I will shove it down your fuckin' throat!" He held up the dress threateningly, watching as Alex's eyes widened, but then he smirked. Chris glowered at him but stood his ground. Alex, finding this all rather humurous, let out a tiny chuckle, shaking his head as he looked up to the ceiling.

"What is this world coming to?" He raised both of his eyebrows, watching as Chris huffed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the other man. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not wearing that thing?"

"Come on!" Chris growled, dropping the dress and grabbing Alex's chin so that he looked him in the eye. He rested his forehead against Alex's in a demanding way, not even pausing to think about how incredibly close they were. He was focused entirely on getting a simple _yes_ out of Alex. The two-toned haired man on the other hand felt himself freeze at Chris' immediate contact, staring at him as his breath caught in his throat. He froze, unsure of what to do. To say he knew what ran through the other man's mind would be a lie and he wasn't sure now was an appropriate time for lying. "Please?" Chris' voice broke into Alex's rapid thoughts. The two of them stared at each other through different perspectives and Alex felt his heart pick up speed. To him, it felt more than some stupid old dress. Chris blinked slowly, continuing to watch him intently. He could feel Alex's soft breath on his face and he could see himself in Alex's eyes, but he didn't put much thought into it.

Alex, growing more than uneasy, turned his head to the side, only to find out he was trapped. Whipping his full attention back onto Chris, he closed his eyes, continuing to feel unsure of what to do. None of this was making any sense to him at all. He took a nervous breath of air, licking his lips under Chris' intense gaze. Chris swallowed, letting his gaze soften as he watched Alex fidget nervously. That's when it really hit him how incredibly close they were. He didn't even remember getting this close. Eyes widened slightly, he stared at Alex, taking in shalllow breaths as he felt Alex's warm breath on his face once again. Neither were really sure what to do at the moment, but Chris knew what desperately wanted to do. Trying to muster up the courage to actually do it though was a lot harder than he thought. He closed his eyes, leaning his head in only slightly, silently hoping Alex wouldn't just stand there and reject him.

Alex stared at him for a few moments, feeling a shiver run up his spine. He felt as if he needed to kiss Chris, but he didn't want to. Not yet. He swallowed his pride, nervously letting his face inch towards Chris'.

"Is anybody in here?" A sharp knock fell upon the door harshly, instantly breaking the moment. Chris yanked back from Alex, eyes wide while Alex continued to stay up against the wall, frowning slightly. Another moment lost to society.

* * *

"And speaking of our lovely dirty-blonde, blue-eyed friend... How's life on the other side?" Sonjay let out a chuckle as he leaned back in his chair, smirking at Chris, who rolled his eyes with a tiny sigh. Jay put on a smirk of his own, watching Chris intently. The other man just slumped his shoulder and went back to staring at his cup of coffee inside the local coffee shop. "Y'know, conversations _usually_ have more than one person speaking." The Indian man raised up his eyebrows with another laugh, watching as Chris shrugged. 

"Well, what do you want to know? Life without a current job is great. I get to sit around all day long, watch my television and think about what everyone's doing without me. Yeah, it's real amazing." He rolled his eyes once more, only with aggrivation. To say he was happy about being suspended would be lying. To be honest, at first he was thrilled to have some bonding time with Alex, but after that whole mall incident, he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Jeeze, calm down." Jay shook his head slowly at his friend, taking his coffee and taking a sip, turning to look at Sonjay, who frowned.

"Sorry, just stressed is all." Chris shook his head, cupping his chin with his hand. He knew it was more than just stress, but he didn't really plan on spilling his heart out to everyone. Especially Sonjay and Jay.

"Uh... Look," Sonjay and Jay shared a glance as Sonjay paused slightly. Clearing his throat, he continued on, "Jay's having a party at his place this week. Why don't you and Alex come? We could always use a few more people around." He nodded almost as if it were in complete honesty while Jay raised an eyebrow curiously. Since when was he having a party? And since when was Alex invited?

"I don't know..."

"Come on. You could use a good party to unwind and relax and just chill out. Please?" Sonjay nodded, frowning as he studied Chris, who rubbed his temple quietly.

"Alex won't come and both of you know that." Chris shrugged once again while the other two glanced at each other once more. As if a lightbulb had gone off in his head, Sonjay's eyes sparked and he mischieviously leaned onto the table with a smirk.

"True, but you can get him to come if you really wanted to. After all, you two are such good buddies."

"Sonjay, trust me, that guy wouldn't come even if he considered me an acquantance." Chris lowered his gaze from Sonjay's, letting out a small sigh. Opening his mouth slightly, Sonjay continued on, thinking his words carefully before he spoke them.

"How about this. Let's make a little wager. I bet that you can't get Alex to come to the party. You're right, owe you an apology, as well as fifty bucks. We win and you'll have to admit that we were right and you owe us fifty bucks. Deal?" Sonjay evenly smirked, watching as Chris shifted uneasily in his seat. After seeming to consider it, the Michigan native furiously shook his head.

"No deal. I'm not going to play Alex like that." He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the thought, instead taking a small sip of his coffee to occupy himself.

"What? Are you _scared_ that me and Jay are going to win? After all, seems as though we have the upper hand here." Sonjay continued to hold his smirk while Jay chuckled underneath his breath, grinning at Chris mischieviously.

"No, I just-"

"Face it, you're scared."

"No, I'm not-"

"Just admit it, Chris, you're sca-"

"_No_ I'm not scared. I'm just doing the matu-"

"Admit it!"

"I'M NOT!"

"ADMIT IT!"

"_NO_. And you know what? Fine! I'll take you up on your offer just so I can prove your cocky ass that you're wrong. Alex _will_ show up at that party and you _will_ apologize, in person, to the both of us!" Chris' eyes narrowed at the pair almost suspiciously. But he was far too angered to become skeptical of the two. To him, it seemed as though they were just being themselves. Sonjay's face fell for a moment at Chris' harshness, but it soon picked itself up.

"Perfect." He grinned like a cheshire cat, letting his eyes linger on Chris for a bit more while Jay stood up calmly. "We'll see you then, Chris. Just be sure to bring your money with you." Winking, he smirked and stood up as well, strolling away with his friend. Chris rolled his eyes at their backs, leaning back against the chair and glaring daggers at his coffee cup. He was making the right choice, wasn't he? After all, it wasn't as if Alex would need to find out about this...

* * *

A/N: Hmm, that whole mall/dressing room scene felt pretty awakward to type and I'm sure it was kind of OOC for this story (well, at least to me it was), but I really wanted to type it, seeing as it goes along with a song that's going to be in here in the next few chapters. Besides, they had to have a moment, duh. Ha. So uh, once again, SORRY for the lack of updating and please read and review. 


	14. Taking Chances

A/N: Oh boy, where to begin... I suppose a HUGE apology would be in order, as well as some lovely brownies? Haha. No, I didn't forget about this story (or any of my stories for that matter) just been so amazingly OVER-WHELMED that I LITERALLY had no time to sit down and get my thoughts straight. But I suppose, hopefully, it's well worth the wait? Trying to make my chapters longer here, as well as get all of my little plots into focus, honestly, I don't think my head was on straight when I wrote most of those chapters, lol.

Oh and in the party scene, the song is "Taking Chances" by Celine Dion. I own absolutely nothing and well, yeah. No suing, please. Lol.

* * *

"Come on, it's one night!" The exasperated sound emitted from Chris' throat before he could stop himself. After about an hour of begging and whining and buying nonstop vanilla flavored iced-coffees, he was exhausted and fed up. But still, Alex somehow managed to ignore his feeble attempts at trying to persuade him, instead locking his dark eyes on his light brown colored coffee. This whole situation bugged Chris to no extent and he could feel himself starting to lose his temper, but still he tried his hardest to remain calm.

"What part of "no" don't you understand? Never in a million years would I EVER go to one of THEIR parties." Alex defiantly crossed his arms across his chest, not caring about how stubborn and childish he was acting. Chris sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

"Why? They said they were sorry..."

"Yeah, but it doesn't erase the past, Chris. I can forgive, but I can't forget." Alex glanced away while Chris stole a glance at his own cup of joe, letting his fingers drum against the cool table.

"What if I paid you?" Chris offered before abruptly being cut off.

"And what if we dropped the subject all-together?" Alex raised an eyebrow as he locked eyes with Chris, almost as if he were daring him to speak another unauthorized word. Chris swallowed his pride before speaking up again.

"Look, all I'm saying is that I really think you should give Sonjay and Jay a shot. I'm not saying you have to be all buddy-buddy with them, or even talk to them, just arrive, stay for a few drinks and then I'll take you home. Simple as that, promise." Chris shrugged, momentarily blinking at realizing how truly simple it was indeed. Alex kept his eyebrow raised, but lowered his gaze slightly.

"You swear?" The dark eyed man continued to study the table, running through the thoughts echoing throughout his head as he thought this plan over. Chris nodded curtly.

"Would I lie to you?" He asked with a simple cock of his head. Alex looked up and he didn't need to speak for Chris to realize he had asked a stupid question. "Okay, don't answer that. I swear, alright? I'll make it my personal goal for the night to keep you three away from each other, that okay with you?" Chris leaned back, his arms crossing over one another across his chest, his gaze not once tearing away from Alex's. After a moment's hesitation, the shorter man sighed.

"Fine. But one word out of either of them to me and I'm out." He bit down on his lip, eyes glued to the table as if it were the most fascinating thing he had ever laid his eyes on. Chris smiled, but he didn't feel any cheerier.

"Good. Trust me, you'll have a blast. Me and Jacks'll show you how to live it up like a real man." Offering a wavy laugh, Chris looked away. He felt bad, using Alex and whatnot, but he had a reputation to uphold and if Jay and Sonjay thought that because of one man he would suddenly forget about his own life and give up on partying and being the best X-division wrestler around, then they were wrong. Very wrong.

* * *

"So where's good ole Austin?" Jackie smirked playfully, even if she wasn't feeling very up to the whole party and happy-go-lucky scene at the current moment. Christy shrugged, smiling and ignoring the very evident fact that she could tell Jackie wasn't feeling like her usual self.

"He'll be here any moment. You're sure you'll be fine as soon as I leave?" Christy ran her hand through her dyed red locks, once again looking in the compact mirror she always carried around. Austin had called her up earlier that evening to tell her he was going to hang at Jay and Sonjay's party for a few moments and then the entire night they would spend by themselves away from everyone else. So here she and Jackie were, at Jay and Sonjay's and waiting for the infamous man to appear. She put the tiny mirror back into her tiny black purse and smoothed out the nonexistant wrinkles from her short black halter dress. Jackie waved her best friend off with a scoff.

"Me? Puh-lease, I'll be just dandy on my own. Alcohol, drunken men everywhere, oh yeah, this is the life." The blonde let her gaze wander over to where Jeff Jarrett was sleazily hitting on Gail, even if James and Chris were standing right there. But the two men didn't seem to care much at the current moment, looking just as intoxicated themselves.

"I knew you'd love it." Christy rolled her eyes with a slight shake of her head, once again checking to make sure her slightly curled hair wasn't frizzy or messed up. "Now, if you ever get in trouble, just call me. I'm just a phone call away and if anything happens, I'll be more than ha-"

"I'll be fine, mother." Jackie smirked, watching her friend carefully for a few moments. "Look, if anything I'd be worried about you. There's like a hundred people here, if I run into trouble, I'll just find Gail or Tracy or someone. You just stay safe and don't round third base just yet, hun." Winking, she giggled as Christy shoved her shoulder lightly.

"Oh thanks, coach. Glad you have my back on this one." The red head placed her hands on her small hips, eyes frantically searching the crowd. "But seriously Jacks, anyone tries anything, I'm here."

"I know, Christy. But trust me on this one, I'll be okay. I'm a big girl, remember?" The blonde crossed her arms, silently begging Austin to show up within the next five seconds.She loved Christy to death, really, she did, but the overprotectiveness suddenly was kind of scaring her. It was almost as if Christy were expecting something to happen to her here...

"Oh look! There's Austin!" Christy spun back to Jackie, her back to Austin, who was shoving through the crowd with Kevin close behind, beer already in hand as he said hello to people he didn't even know. "Okay, now, you know my cell phone number, you know Austin's and I think you know nine-one-one's... Stay safe! I'll see you back at the hotel!" She tightly hugged her best friend before giving her an award-winning grin and spinning back on her three inch heels to casually make her way up to her new boyfriend. Austin, in turn, waved and grinned back as if he just happened to find her there. Jackie sighed, the fake grins and happiness draining from her face as she watched the pair exchange hugs and make their way through the crowd. Kevin didn't even seem to notice his buddy had abandoned him. Jackie bit down on her bottom lip, almost feeling out of place. She loved parties, but as of lately, she'd much rather be back home, tucked away in her bed with her ipod and listening to some of the saddest love songs she could possibly find available. She loved a man who would never ever love her back... And to make things worse, she had lied to her best friend about it.

With a lick of her unusually unglossed lips, she made her way to the back of the house, just narrowingly missing bumping into party-goers on her way to the alcohol table. Sighing to herself, she reached out and blindly grabbed a random bottle of whatever was there, not caring to grab a glass or anything. With Christy gone and Chris and Alex nowhere in sight, she was going to make the most of this moment. Screw them. As she went to pick up the heavy bottle, she felt a warm hand over her own. With a small gasp, she widened her eyes and looked into the icy blue ones of a man she didn't even know was here. AJ Styles.

"So, Jackie does have a partying spirit, huh?" The man gave a bemused smirk, his brown hair gelled slightly and his hand still ontop of the blonde's. Jackie nodded, not really sure what he meant by that, but not bothering to ask about it.

"I should be asking you the same thing, AJ." She went to tug her hand back to herself, but it didn't seem as if AJ had any intentions of letting her hand go. It was as if he was clutching her hand instead of the bottle. She frowned, eyed locked on their hands.

"Really? Why would you have to ask that? I'm always at these parties, you're the one I never see here. Besides, what with everything going on, I would've thought you'd much rather be away from the party scene..." He trailed off, eyes still watching her fidget nervously under his intense gaze. Jackie blinked, eyebrow slightly raising.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh you know... That whole Alex situation you have going on. Don't think I didn't know about all of that. That why you keep turning me down?" He raised an eyebrow, eyes unblinking whereas Jackie blinked a mile a minute, trying to grasp all of this newly presented information.

"Where did you hear about all of this? Who told you?" She narrowed her eyes slightly, but it didn't do much to diminish his cocky ways, as his smirk grew even wider at hearing her scramble her words togethet thoughtlessly.

"Does it really matter? I'm just simply telling you I know about it. That should be none of your concern who else knows, shouldn't it? Now look, I'm not going to do anything wrong, don't worry. All I want is one night with you, that's it." The man shrugged, as if he were completely innocent of all acts. "I just want to open up your eyes and show you that Alex isn't the type of man you want."

"And you would know the type of man I DO want?" Her eyebrow raised and she tried unsuccessfully yet again to rip her hand away.

"Just give me one shot, Jacks. Alex is dirt, you know that, I know that. I'm a former X-Division champion, I CREATED this division. So whaddya say? One night? Up to you whether or not it counts as a real date." He winked, drawing himself closer to the blonde, who, in turn, took a step back.

"I don't know..." She fixated her gaze on the floor, silently calling Christy back. Honestly, she didn't even remember talking to AJ that much before and she certainly didn't remember him asking her out. All she did remember was him being around the women's locker room... a lot... And he was constantly in on the immature games Jay and Sonjay played on Alex.

"Come on, you won't regret it. Besides, do you really want to be here?" He had a point. Jackie sighed, her lips slightly parting as she looked up into his gleaming eyes. She ignored the people on all sides of her and the blasting music and familiar sight of Chris in the far background, instead watching AJ.

"What do you have in mind?"

* * *

Chris frowned, throwing a glance over his shoulder towards Alex, who was scrunching up his nose in disgust at the high count of people crowded into the small area. The dirty blonde man raked a hand through his messy hair and stuck his hand in his jeans' pocket, continuing to walk through the crowd with Alex close behind. 

"I can't believe you talked me into coming here... Ugh." Alex crossed his arms stiffly across his chest, not once looking at Chris as he spoke. Chris rolled his eyes, but continued looking for Jay and Sonjay, needing them to spot Alex here so he could prove them wrong.

"Maybe if you stopped complaining you'll actually have fun and forget the fact that you don't like anyone here?" He raised an eyebrow, stopping in his tracks as he passed the alcohol table. Now it was Alex's turn to roll his eyes and scoff.

"And hey, maybe if our president had a brain, we'd be out of Iraq. But you don't see me dragging them to parties, do you?" Alex clenched his jaw shut, eyes narrowed. Chris opened his mouth to ask what that had to do with anything, but decided to keep it shut, now straining his eyes to see past the hoards of people all dancing and drinking.

"Look, you can live it up and have fun or you can stay here and sulk like a baby, either way, you're here until I say we can leave." The taller man said, rubbing his forehead in agony. Dealing with Alex's sarcastic attitude on top of the pounding music wasn't really helping him think. He sighed in defeat, not spotting Sonjay or Jay anywhere relatively close.

"Fine, I just don't see what's so amazing about this party. Just like the other seven hundred you've been to." Alex shrugged carelessly, looking over the choice of alcohol carefully. He pursed his lips and reached out for a bottle, only to get his hand slapped away by Chris.

"No drinking."

"Chris, you dragged me to this party unwillingly and you're forcing me to mingle with people I despise. The least you can do is let me have one drink." Alex glowered slightly before once agin reaching for the same bottle. Chris glared, grabbing Alex's wrist and letting it fall at his side.

"Yeah, but the last thing I need to do tonight is drag your drunken ass home." The Michigan native rolled his eyes, going back to searching through the crowd.

"Then don't." Alex jammed his fists into his faded jean's pockets, looking elsewhere from beneath his long hair that was once again covering his eyes.

"Why do you always have to give me such an attitude? I'm standing here, trying to help and all you're doing is-"

"Chris... you're not trying to help. You're trying to change me and forgive the useless idiots who turned on ME. If anything, you're making matters much worse than they originally were." Alex cut him off before he could continue, not looking at him. Chris frowned, studying Alex for a bit.

"Look... I'm sorry, alright?" He rolled his eyes again before going on, "Let's just drop it. Do you see Sonjay or Jay?"

"No." Alex's reply was curt and simple without any enthusiasm or effort put into it. Chris sighed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck with a slight groan. Alex shrugged, deciding against putting any insight into Chris' question. The dirty blonde man kept his gaze fixed on looking about himself, lips twisting down. Alex chewed on his lip, trying his best to ignore the awkward silence lingering between the two of them.

_Don't know much about your life  
Don't know much about your world, but  
Don't wanna be alone tonight  
On this planet they call Earth_

Chris glanced at Alex out of the corner of his eye, hands jammed into pockets as he kept his mouth shut. Alex's one word answer had totally destroyed all conversation, or any hopes of it somehow continuing without more sarcasm in it. Fun.

_You don't know about my past, and  
I don't have a future figured out  
And maybe this is going too fast  
And maybe it's not meant to last_

Alex kept his head bowed towards his feet, eyes fixated on the dirty black things he called shoes. He chewed on his lip, long hair brushing against his eyes as he listened intently to the music in the background. The loud party scene wasn't him and it was even worse with Chris not allowing him to drink anything.

_But what do you say to taking chances  
What do you say to jumping off the edge  
Never knowing if there's soild ground below  
Or hand to hold  
Or hell to pay  
What do you say  
What do you say _

As the people around them continued chatting or dancing, both men kept the awkward silence moving along fairly well. Chris finally tore his eyes off of Alex's face and went back to searching for Jay and Sonjay. Alex let out a tiny sigh, shoulders slumping.

_I just wanna start again  
Maybe you could show me how to try  
Maybe you could take me in  
Somewhere underneath your skin_

These past few weeks had been hell for both men and really, if he could, Alex really wouldn't give it all back. Honestly, it had been years since he truly felt like someone cared about him. Austin and Kevin were there, yeah, but they were never _there_. Maybe, just...maybe.

_What do you say to taking chances  
What do you say to jumping off the edge  
Never knowing if there's soild ground below_

Chris rocked back and forth on his heels nervously. If Alex wanted to keep things quiet, then he would too. He knew he had been pressuring him too much, but it was for his own good, wasn't it? It wasn't as if he would purposly do anything to hurt him. Then the other day hit him. He had. And he had done it without thinking about it. And to make matters worse, he was still looking to prove Jay and Sonjay wrong. Squeezing his eyes shut, he fought back the lump in his throat, as well as the thoughts of the two men he considered friends.

_Or a hand to hold  
Or hell to pay  
What do you say  
What do you say_

Finally, the man opened his eyes and twisted himself around to look directly at Alex, seriousness holding his gaze intently. He watched as Alex refused to look up at him, not sure how to word this. He hated awkward silences and maybe he could help Alex open up, and get his own mind off of his problems.

"Do you... want to dance...?" Eyebrows slightly furrowing as he spoke, Chris felt his mouth run dry. Alex blinked, momentarily taken a back, before looking up at Chris, eyes slightly widening. He licked his lips again before opening his mouth to reply, only to be cut off by Chris, who could sense some sly remark bubbling beneath Alex's lips. "Just one dance, all I'm asking. I don't think anyone would notice anyway. They're probably all too intoxicated..." Offering a weak and shaky chuckle, he motioned about himself. Alex's eyes followed his hand and he turned back to Chris, arms crossing across his stomach. He gave a tiny nod.

"Sure..."

_And I had my heart beaten down,  
But I always come back for more, yeah.  
There's nothing like love to pull you up,  
When you're laying down on the floor there.  
So talk to me, talk to me,  
Like lovers do._

At hearing that one word escape Alex's mouth, Chris felt his face lift up and his heart picked up speed. He said _yes_. Trying his best to hide the smile, Chris offered Alex his hand, which he had a feeling was already starting to nervously sweat. Sure asking random girls out and sleeping with them was easy enough, but this was Alex fuckin' Shelley. His best friend of god-knows how long. Alex placed his cold hand in Chris' warm one and felt himself lightly be tugged away from the back of the room. He nervously watched the back of Chris' head as he trailed behind like a lost puppy. This could quite possibly be it. The moment he was looking for.

_Yeah walk with me, walk with me,  
Like lovers do,  
Like lovers do._

Being content with dragging him out far enough from the dark, Chris spun around, looking into Alex's warm brown eyes, although his hair still hung in his gaze. Alex looked back into Chris' bright blue ones, and for a moment, neither one did anything. They both stood there, listening to the distant music and noises. With a small breath of stomach-wrenching air, Chris moved his hands so that they rested on Alex's hips, which sent small shivers up the two-toned haired man's back. Biting down on his lip, Alex put his hands on Chris' shoulders, feeling too awkward to do much more. He felt as if he stood out from amongst everyone else, and that was never a good thing. Moving in slightly towards Alex, Chris broke eye contact, unsure of what to do next. Normally with a girl he would be so in there, but... not with Alex...

_What do you say to taking chances,  
What do you say to jumping off the edge?  
Never knowing if there's solid ground below  
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,  
What do you say,  
What do you say?_

As the music gradually increased in loudness, so did Chris with his comfortality. He ignored how awkward he knew Alex felt, trying to make the best of the situation. He couldn't just back out now, especially not after everything he had done to get this far. Leaving would crush the other man. He locked eyes with Alex, who tried his hardest to break the hold. But he couldn't. He felt compelled to stand there and stare right on back. Suddenly, the thoughts of the dressing room incident came spilling back and Alex closed his eyes, letting out a shallow breath of air.

Chris felt himself stop moving to the music and he ignored everything around him. Watching Alex like this was just too overwhelming. He had to do something. And he knew what that something was. But the question of whether he would let him or not lingered in the back of his mind. Would he shove him away? Or would he let things move naturally? Swallowing his pride, Chris decided to go with his gut and take a chance. He needed to do this, for himself. He had to prove to himself that this could work out. It had to.

Without thinking much, Chris felt his head slowly dip foreward and the to the side. Alex, catching sense of what was going on, stared back at Chris for a moment or two. He felt heat rise up into his cheeks, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. It was now or never. Did he really want things to progress like this? It took too much effort to shove Chris away, but was it for the better? Or was it actually hurting him?

Before he could thoroughly think things through, he felt a rush of sensation run through his body and those warm lips belonging to only one person pressed up against his. Alex closed his eyes, arms wrapping around Chris' neck. He didn't know what he was doing and he didn't know what would happen after this, but he knew he liked it. It just felt right. Chris felt Alex kiss him back and he tried to hide his excitement, deepening the kiss as he pulled Alex closer and closer to him. Things were finally going to work out.

Gradually, Chris pulled back, eyes flickering open as Alex lingered there. The dark eyed man opened his eyes, lips still parted as he stared back at Chris. The dirty-blonde man felt Alex's warm breath on his face and he tried to search for any words left. But there was none. He honestly didn't know what to do next. Opening his mouth nonetheless, he tried to think of something, only to be cut off.

"Wow Chris, we only said you had to bring him here, not kiss him too." That damn voice. Eyes widening, Chris whirled around to where Jay and Sonjay were standing side by side, equally large smirks on their faces. Sonjay took a step towards Chris, fists shoved into his pockets while Jay fumbled around in his coat pocket.

"Here bud, you more than earned this." With a chuckle, the New Jersey man forked over the full amount of cash. Chris numbly took it, not sure what to do. Frantically, he looked back at Alex, who's wide eyes were flicking between Chris and Sonjay and Jay. Angrily, he let his gaze linger on Chris.

"You got _paid_ to bring me here?" He shot this out so coldly it even felt foreign to him. Chris widlly shook his head, mind racing a mile per second.

"No! I mean, well, yeah... but Alex, I swear. I'm not like that, it was all coin-" Chris' rambling was sharply cut off as Alex took a step back, brown eyes tearing up. He had been made a fool of. Again.

"No Chris. You haven't change. You just think you have." With a weary look in the duo's direction, he spun around on his heel, taking off at a quick run and shoving someone out of his way. He needed to get out of here. Now. There was too much crazy in here for him to handle. Chris turned back to look at Jay and Sonjay, but they were already gone. Blinking back frustrated tears, he dropped the cash to the floor, ignoring the odd looks a few people were giving him, as well as the people still dancing. He had managed to screw up probably his last chance with Alex... again.

_Don't know much about your life  
And I don't know much about your world.

* * *

_

A/N: Man, I'm just an evil, conniving bitch, aren't I? Make you all wait for months and months and months only to throw that into the mixture... Lol. But yeah, please R&R. Hopefully it'll help me get back into the swing of things. Yay!


	15. Angels With Dirty Faces

A/N: Oh my goshh! I love you guys! One hundred reviews? YAY -dances- Man, you guys are amazingg. I'll seriously get started on those brownies you all deserve, haha. Sorry for taking so incredibly long, lots of shit just pretty much popped up, shit that I really would rather never happened. But hey, least I finally found time to update, haha.

* * *

Chris stabbed his fingers through his dirty-blonde hair the following morning, stiffling a small yawn as he grudgingly trudged out of the bathroom. His bleary blue eyes blinked monotonously as he took in the really strange sight of Kevin sitting on his couch, eyes staring directly at the Michigan native as if they were attracted to him like some weird human magnet. Chris swallowed his pride and pulled nervously at the hem of his black t-shirt that he wore to bed that night, studying the ground intently. The much bigger man forced himself up to a stand, arms crossing gruffly across his chest. 

"What the _hell_ did you manage to do _this_ time?" His dark eyes penetrated Chris's weak defense walls and he slumped his shoulders, trying to search for the right words to say. The last thing he needed to see was his life flash before his eyes at seven A.M. after quite possibly, the worst night of his life. "Sabin..."

"I'm sorry?" He managed to squeak out, wide blue eyes peeking up at Kevin pathetically. The much older Detroit man raised a tauntingly curious eyebrow at hearing this.

"For what? You didn't do anything to _me_. Kiddo, you're doing this to _yourself_. What was my warning the other day?" Musing to himself, Kevin glanced over the gruffy man, arms still crossed. Chris rubbed the back of his neck almost sheepishly, pinching at his gray and navy plaid pajama pants. Figures Kevin was here to make his life a living hell. He fucked up one time and now suddenly the guy had formed his own little CIA one-man unit.

"Uhm... watch where I walk...?"

"Chris." Giving the dirty-blonde man a sharp look, Kevin made his way over to Chris, who's eyes widened with each step he took. Nervously moving back a step, Chris bit down on his lip. "I told you to watch what you did to Alex. Now, apparently what happened last night wasn't very watchful of you. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what went wrong. But I want to hear it from you before I single-handedly _murder_ you." Kevin stopped moving once he was practically a foot away form Chris, who looked him up and down nervously. "I don't have all day, you know." Upon saying this, Kevin peered down at Chris, determined gaze matching his instantly. Chris chewed on his lip, staring at Kevin through his slightly long and messy hair. Quietly shaking his head, he opened his mouth to reply.

"I... I kinda screwed up everything. I took two steps instead of one after taking a different trail..." So it wasn't exactly detailed, but he silently prayed that Kevin would get the hint. He couldn't bring himself to tell the man that he had _kissed_ his best friend.

"Oh did you?" At this, Kevin's taunting and amused look returned and he shifted his arms to make himself more comfortable. "And do you mind telling me just how you planned on getting off of that trail unscathed?"

"I... didn't think that far ahead."

"Y'see Chris, that's where you went wrong. You didn't _think_. You didn't stop to think about how all of this would affect Alex and you. You didn't stop to think that Jay and Sonjay would have something up their sleeve. You didn't stop to think that I would find out about your little plan. And you _certainly_ didn't stop to think about what you've been mentally doing to Alex since the goddamn day you decided to have a "change of heart". Maybe I'm missing something here, but I _highly_ doubt that's the true underlying meaning of a fuckin' friendship, much less a relationship. Just fuckin' stop and think for once in your pathetic and corrupt life and try to get your head out of your ass long enough to think about someone else for a fuckin' change. I-" Kevin was suddenly cut off from his small rant by Chris, who's glare threatened Kevin right back.

"Okay, now when you say that you make me sound like a goddamn fool-"

"Because you are! Chris, you don't _think_. You sit there and fuckin' _assume_ that everything will work out for the best. You assumed that Sonjay and Jay were your friends and where did that get you? You assumed that Alex would suddenly take you back and where did that get you? You assumed that Alex wouldn't let on to everything you've been doing to him and where did that get you? You, Chris Sabin are nothing but a fuckin' fool." Kevin paused to breathe, licking his lips as he tried his best to calm himself down. Chris stared back at him. His words stung, but he wasn't going to let him know he had gotten to him. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, defiantly locking eyes with him.

"How do you know all of this? I highly doubt Alex sits there and tells you about how his day went while you two have a little slumber party like a couple of little prissy little school girls." Chris spat this out poisonously, hands clenching into tight fists as he stood up straight. Enough had been enough. Kevin rolled his eyes, but smirked nonetheless.

"Chris, you really think I'm stupid? I've known Alex practically his entire career here in TNA after you abandoned him. I think I can tell how he's feeling just by looking at him, don't you? I mean, you upped and left him all that time ago and suddenly you're an Alex expert. Pretty cute powers you've got there, Einstein. But if you have to know, I was at that party last night. I witnessed that little soap opera scenario you pulled. The first time things got fucked up? I was around. Chris, you're not as clever as you think. You really aren't." Shaking his head, Kevin ran his fingers through his short hair. Chris continued glaring, frowning slightly as he thought about all the points Kevin had brought up. Both men stood there, Kevin tauntingly, Chris angrily. He wanted him out and he wanted him out _now_.

"Kevin-" Chris stopped himself at noticing Kevin holding up his hand, signaling that he was going to go on. Fun...

"And do you know just what's become of Alex since you backstabbed him last night?" Now Kevin's taunting voice burst in through Chris' budding thoughts. Stiffly, Chris shook his head. A smirk spread across Kevin's lips at knowing something Chris didn't. "Well, if you'd like to know... or even _care_, Alex snuck out in the middle of the night. Thought he was asleep, but we woke up and he was gone. Now I have Austin driving all over the fuckin' city looking for him and you're here sleeping away in your little mansion of a room, still stuck up on your high horse. I thoroughly hope you're proud of yourself, Mr. Sabin. You single-handedly destroyed someone."

At hearing this, Chris felt his jaw drop slightly enough for his lips to part and his blue eyes widened. Shit. Kevin took note of his change in appearance and his smug smirk grew. He stuck his fists into his jeans' pockets.

"So yeah, have a good day. Come find me if you have another change of heart. Hopefully by then I'll have Alex back under control. And when I do," He paused, taking a dark step towards Chris so that his intimidatingly larger body hovered over the dirty-blonde man's, "...you better high tail it on out of here. I gave you one too many chances with Alex, Chris. He's at the end of his fuckin' rope and if I let you hurt him once more, I'm just as bad as you. So stay away and don't even think about him, for your own benefit, of course." With that said, he shoved him out of his way and reached for the door, leaving Chris wobbling to catch his footing. As the door slammed behind Kevin, Chris felt his breath become caught in his throat. He had to find Alex before Kevin did.

* * *

Alex glared at the brown wooden counter before him, head bowed down so that his two-toned hair hung in his dark gaze while his fists remained closed on it's smooth surface. To be completely honest, he was utterly lost and didn't even know where he was, but to be even honester, he couldn't care less. He needed to get away from it all. From Kevin's constant looks and prying. From Jay and Sonjay and their stupid schemes. From Chris. From everything. He just couldn't believe it had happened again. Chris had lied to his face so many times and he had bought every single one. Gritting his teeth together, his fists clenched tightly together even more. If there was something absolutely frustrating about this whole thing, it was the fact that he kept crawling on back to the man. He was stupid and felt like a complete idiot. 

"You going buy something, sugar, or are you going to sit there all day?" Upon hearing a voice break into his thoughts, Alex blearily blinked, lifting his tired head up to meet the intense gaze of a dark eyed woman, her chocolate-brown hair resting just below her shoulders in neat little curls. The man licked his dry lips with a tiny shake of his head.

"Jus.. Just give me a water, please." His eyes went back to resting on the counter, mind flashing back to last night reluctantly. He didn't want to dwell on the past, but he really couldn't help it. He had been used, and what was worse, he had truly believed Chris had changed. Hook, line and sinker.

"There ya go. On the house, sweetie." Winking, the woman spun around to another customer. Alex didn't even look up as she did so, instead closing his head and letting out a frustrated sigh. If things could get any worse, he dared them to. By now, he was used to the lies and backstabbing and would probably just laugh as if he had just gone crazy. But crazy why? Because he was constantly being taunted? Because everyone had witnessed him look like a fool? Because Chris had ripped out his heart and torn it in two in one swift motion? Why? His mind felt like a beehive right now, pinning up two different feelings.

One was of hate, hate for everything and everything Chris had done to him. For abandoning him the first time. For coming back. For not getting the hint. For caring. For existing. Hell, he hated everything he loved about him. But most of all, he hated him because he loved him. And that, he didn't know why. What was there to love? The way he could lie through his teeth? The way you could never know what lay behind those twinkling blue eyes? The way his hair fell in just the right angle across his forehead? The way he laughed? What?

Alex squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a knot form in his throat and he suddenly felt sick, blinking back furious tears. This was too fucked up to try and figure out. He didn't know how to feel after everything that had happened. Chris kissed him, that meant he had to really care. But two seconds later, he was standing there with Jay and Sonjay and revealing some silly little bet, that meant he was still the old Chris. Keeping his eyes closed, Alex coughed slightly, failing to hold in the sob building up inside of him. Things were just too crazy for him to handle.

Pushing himself up, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, deciding to make a quick, yet discrete, dash for the front door, only to walk right into Austin, who looked just as shocked to see him as he was he.

"Alex!" The man exclaimed joyously, as if he had completed some amazing feat, arms even going so far as to throwing themselves in the air. Alex sniffled quietly, swallowing the lump still hanging in his throat. He stared at Austin in a mix of horror and confusion, maybe even joy. Austin, still overly excited with finding the dark-eyed man threw his arms around him, mumbling things to himself.

"Hi Austin..." The Detroit man mumbled quietly, not bothering to move his arms to hug his friend back. Austin pulled back, arms resting on Alex's shoulders seriously, staring at him as if he had been gone for a full nine years, not nine hours.

"Where the hell have you been, man? You had me and Kev worried sick! Do you know how long it's been since my feet have been on solid non-car-floor ground? I mean, Kevin's off screaming at whoever he can find. We were just about to file a missing persons case!" Austin wildly shook his head, purple earrings swinging back and forth violently. Alex bit down on his lip guiltily, glancing at the floor. This was exactly the last thing he needed to hear right now. Austin took quick notice of this and dragged him back over to the stools by the counter. "Talk, man, I need to know what's up. I don't have super-human x-ray Alex vision like Kev does."

Although the comment made Alex want to give Austin a small smile and reassure him that he was just peachy, he kept his expression emotionless and mouth shut. The dark-haired man pushed his black shades up onto the top of his head, eyebrow raising in question as he peered at Alex worriedly. He let out a tiny sigh, spinning himself around to face the waitress from before.

"I'll get a stack of pancakes, hold the butter and bacon, with some orange juice, and the kiddie over here will get the uh..." Quickly letting his eyes scan the menu by his elbow, he gave a goofy grin and looked back up, "smiley face pancake with some chocolate milk." Giving her a reassuring nod, he handed the men over to the young woman, he unsurely glanced between him and Alex, parting her lips as if to say something. Quickly shaking her head, she dismissed that idea and spun around to fetch their orders. Austin licked his lips, clasping his hands together ontop of the counter as he looked about himself as if to pass time.

"You don't have to stay here, you know..." Alex muttered this bitterly to himself, eyes still locked on the counter and lump still in his throat, voice cracking slightly. Austin gave a tiny shrug.

"Well, hey, you're my buddy. We have to stick together, no? I mean, we've been together for how long? Years, buddy boy. Even back in ROH we were together, TNA we were together, we got chemistry, man. Gotta look after each other." Smiling softly in Alex's direction, he drummed his fingers against the counter, trying to find Alex's eyes behind his long hair. Shaking his head slowly, the Detroit native finally looked up to meet Austin's curious gaze.

"That's where you're wrong, Austin. _We_ don't need to do anything. I don't need you, I don't need Kevin and I don't need everyone. I'm not some damn child." Eyes narrowing, the two-toned haired man let his gaze flick back over to the counter, hands once again clenching into fists. Austin gave an amused smirk.

"Says the man who sneaks out in the middle of the night like some hormonal teenager going off to some party who also mopes around as if he's constantly stoned and runs away from his problems like some little emo kid. Boy, that's mature." Rolling his eyes still humorously, Austin played with the purple feather he called an earring, head dipping to the side in interest. Alex's gaze darkened even more and grit his teeth together even more tightly before looking up to study Austin's face carelessly.

"Wow, you must have some talent, Austin. You're able to fuck some slutty little red head named Christy _and_ recite some silly little similes. Really, I'm impressed. Why can't I be you?" Giving a sarcastic laugh upon spitting this out, Alex crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest. Austin's face fell and his eyebrows furrowed together tightly.

"Look, leave Christy out of this, 'lex. I'm trying to help you out. I can pretty much guarantee I've been in your place before-"

"No, I highly doubt that. You wouldn't last a day in my shoes." Alex whirled around to face Austin, looking him dead in the eye before continuing onwards, "Have you ever been backstabbed so many times by the same person but yet you keep crawling back to them? Have you ever been treated like complete shit by someone but never gave up hope that in some weird way they still cared? Have you ever broken down and thought about taking the easy way out and you didn't even know why? So yeah, I _highly_ doubt you know what I'm going through!" Blinking back furious tears, he bit down on his lip, once more turning back to the counter, staring down at it's wooden surface through blurry vision and sniffling quietly to himself. Austin frowned deeply at hearing this, and his complexion softened. He swallowed his pride, looking around like some lost child in the mall. Unsurely, he reached out to put his hand on Alex's shoulder.

"'lex..."

"Just go away." Alex shrugged his hand off of his shoulder, trying to swallow the sob building up his throat and fight back the burning tears budding in the corners of his eyes. Austin let his hand hang uselessly in the air at his side, still staring at Alex in wonder. How easily this whole conversation had turned around.

"Okay! Here we go, two orders of pancakes, a chocolate milk and some orange juice. Enjoy, sugar." Winking as she placed down the food before the two men, Austin gave her a tiny nod. Even when she left them alone again, he ignored the steaming hot food, eyes once again resting on Alex. Giving a defeated sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck, pulling his sunglasses back down over his eyes from ontop of his head and straightening out his black cap. "Come on, I think it's best we get you home..." Standing up, Austin threw a twenty on the counter, still watching Alex. Licking his lips, the other man numbly pulled himself to his feet, trailing behind his flamboyant friend subconsciously. If there was one thing he didn't want right now, it was to be alone.

* * *

"Christy...? Christy..." Chewing on her lip, the blonde shook her best friend's shoulder cautiously, legs tucked beneath herself as she continued to sit on Christy's bed, urgently trying to wake her up. Batting her hand away tiredly, Christy frowned, pulling the blanket up over her head. 

"What, Jacks? Some of us are trying to sleep here..." The red head mumbled this quietly to herself, not really caring if Jackie heard her or not. Leaning back slightly, Jackie continued to chew on her lip nervously, twiddling her thumbs together as she stared at her lap.

"I need to talk to you about something... something serious." She swallowed quietly, still playing with her fingers. Christy peeked open one eye, staring at Jackie's silhouette through the thin blanket.

"Can't it wait?"

"Not really, no..." Shaking her head slowly, Jackie bit down on her bottom lip, mind rushing at one hundred miles an hour. She blinked feverishly, watching out of the corner of her eye as Christy let herself sit up, both eyes blinking and now open.

"What is it?" She crossed her legs to make herself more comfortable, holding back a yawn as she let her hands rest in her lap. She may have been absolutely exhausted, but if Jackie needed to talk, she was going to talk. The other woman meekly met her friend's gaze before looking back down at the sheets.

"Uh, well... last night, after you and Austin left... I kinda met up with AJ... and uhm, we kinda left the party..." She blinked a few more times, eyes flicking up to the ceiling to hold back the tears she knew were coming. Nervously, Christy reached out to grab Jackie's hand, eyes widening.

"What?" She frowned, staring at Jackie intently.

"And I dunno, we went to his place and he was surprisingly sweet... and I guess I had one too many drinks, because y'know, I never really go out and party as much as other people do. And he kinda... kinda.." Biting down on her lip more fiercely, she squeezed her eyes shut, not sure if she could bring herself to finish the sentence, but she wasn't quite sure if Christy knew what she was getting at. "He scored..."

"Wait... _what_!?" Christy's bright blue eyes widened once again and she pretty sure they were going to end up being stuck this wide always. She wildly shook her head, still staring at Jackie. "No!" Honestly, she couldn't picture nice little innocent Jackie getting down and dirty with AJ of all people. It was just... unnatural for the blonde. "Was he... good?" At this, Jackie shrugged, moving her one hand to twirl her blonde locks around her forefinger, eyes resting on her other hand still occupied by Christy's.

"That's the thing... I didn't want him to..." Christy's eyes once again widened and she felt her lips part in shock. She was going to fuckin' _murder_ that son of a bitch. Instinctively, she reached over, pulling Jackie in a tight hug, which she quickly returned. Christy shook her head, letting out a sigh as she rubbed Jackie's back.

"It's gonna be alright, sweetie. I'll get Cornette to do something about it." Jackie buried her face in Christy's thin shoulder, holding back a sob. One of the last things she wanted was for Christy to go to Cornette and get AJ fired because of her. It wasn't the fact that he had threatened her if she told anyone, it was the fact that he brought someone else into the mixture by threatening their life. And that person was Alex.

* * *

"Look, I'm not asking you to commit a murder and pull a hit and run or anything, I'm just saying, bring him here. I think that's what's going to help the most right now." Frustratedly, Austin rubbed his temples, keeping his cell phone pressed up to his ear as he licked his lips. He paced back and forth in the tiny hallway outside the bathroom inside the room he was sharing with Alex and Kevin. Alex had somehow managed to lock himself in the bathroom, and banging on the door certainly wasn't helping at all. Listening to Kevin's gruff voice on the other line, Austin rolled his eyes. "Kev, just do it. I have a good feeling about this, alright?" 

"Fine, but if you fuck things up more than they already are, you're going to have to go searching for a new body." Austin frowned at hearing Kevin's small threat and then the click meaning he had hung up. Joy. Sighing deeply, he closed the phone and placed it in his pocket, glancing back at the door for the hundredth time in the past twenty minutes.

"Alex? You alright?" He knocked lightly, blinking as he pressed his ear against it's wooden surface. He didn't hear anything in response, of course. Shaking his head, he moved over to the beds, letting himself collapse onto the one closer to the balcony door. He had had it up to here with the constant mood swings and arguing. It was as if Alex was constantly pregnant, which would be quite a scary sight to say the least. Covering his eyes with his forearm, Austin moaned to himself. Kevin better pull through. He was at the end of his rope in trying to help the situation, and if this little act didn't work, he wasn't quite sure what would.

What seemed like no less than eight minutes later, the door swung open and Austin jumped up to his feet almost so quickly he lost his balance. He swiftly made his way to where Kevin was standing, hand clenched tightly around the shirt collar of the one and only Chris. The dirty-blonde man scowled at Kevin behind his back and ignored the way Austin was looking at him as if he were a freakin' god.

"You better be right." With a roll of his eyes, Kevin pushed Chris forward slightly, closing the door behind him. Austin sent his friend a reassuring smile and nod, even if he didn't feel as sure of this plan as he did a few minutes ago. He knew for a fact that something had happened between Alex and Chris, but Kevin wasn't letting him onto anything, so what better way than to bring Chris to Alex for them to talk it over? Honestly, he felt like a genius, even if the idea was relatively simple. Only thing was, would Alex open the door?

* * *

Alex felt the tears burning behind his eyes and although his gaze was teary, he still stared at his wrist, the knife that still Austin nor Kevin knew about clenched tightly in his other hand. The new wound stung, but it didn't match up with the emotional pain he felt inside. Compared to his aching heart, the cut was a mere scratch and nothing more. He sniffled, legs still tucked beneath him as he remained crumpled on the cool tile floor. Feeling his lip quiver, he dropped the knife lightly to the floor, gently running his fingers across his wrist and touching the blood. He shook his head, letting out a tiny sob before sitting up against the wall and drawing his knees to his chest. He bowed his head onto his knees, arms wrapping around his legs like some sort of comfort blanket. 

Of all the horrible things that had ever happened to him, what Chris had been doing to him overrode it all. He could handle Sonjay and Jay and AJ and all the other guys constantly being complete assholes. Why? Because they weren't his best friends at one point. They weren't the ones who he had spent all night with, pigging out on oreo cookies and peanut butter. They weren't the ones who he had called up and threatened to kidnap and ship off to Mexico for not giving back his Rock Kills Kid CD. They weren't the ones who he had had water balloon fights with and got a black eye in the process. They weren't anything to him.

But Chris was different. He was all of those things and more. He was absolute best friend, the one person in this world he thought he could trust. But he was wrong. More wrong than he ever felt he was before. He gave him one too many chances and now he was stuck here in a bathroom, wallowing in self pity. He was past the point of being lonely and he was past the point of being hurt. He was past it all. He wanted to hate Chris for everything he did to him. He needed to hate him. But he couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to bring those two words together. They just didn't belong together... at all.

"Alex?" At hearing a small knock on the door, Alex bit back another sob, burying his face in his knees. "Alex, it's me, Chris. Kevin and Austin let me in before they left... It's just me and you now. Can I come in?" He heard the door move a little bit, meaning Chris was more or less leaning his shoulder against it, but he kept his eyes, and mouth, shut.

"Alright, look, 'lex, I know you're pissed at me, and honestly, I don't blame you. What I did to you... what I did to you was wrong and I feel horrible about it. I'm sorry. Things got way more out of hand than I originally planned for them to be and Jay and Sonjay tricked me into it. I fucked up and I know it. Last night... when I... kissed you, they didn't make me do it. I did it simply because I wanted to." Chris bit down on his bottom lip softly, not sure what to say next. Should he tell Alex exactly how he felt? Or should he keep up with the lies and discreteness? Swallowing his pride, he mustered up the courage to keep speaking, "Alex... I kissed you last night because I love you."

Letting out a tiny sigh, Chris held his breath for a moment or two, not sure if he could hear Alex in there. He frowned, running his fingers through his hair before standing up straight and looking at the door, shrugging limply. "There, I said it." He licked his lips, taking a tiny step back and glancing around the empty room, knowing very well that Austin and Kevin were out on the balcony, most likely eavesdropping, but he couldn't really care less. Alex deserved to know after all of this shit he had put up with before this. Really, he never meant for things to get this far. "So, once again, I'm really, really sorry. And I'll just leave you alone now. I'll see you around."

Taking one last, long look at the door, he turned to the front door, taking his hand out of his pocket and reaching out to open it. He paused for a moment, as if expecting the bathroom door to swing open, only for his face to fall at not hearing the slightest such thing. Slumping his shoulders, he opened the front door. He knew he deserved getting the cold shoulder.

* * *

A/N: Wow, you have no idea how many times I had to go back and edit this chapter to get all of my thoughts together, haha. But hopefully it's good enough. Please R&R! 


	16. My Way Back To You

A/N: I love you all so incredibly much. Muaha. Sorry for not being able to update for a while, forgot to mention that I was going on vacation and stupid Jackie gave me incredible amounts of writer's block because the scene just kept coming out wrong, meh. Thankfully, I have a helpful friend in the form of SimplePlanFan188 to help me out a bit.

* * *

"I managed to get Kevin to bring Alex down to the bar for a few hours, so we have the entire place all to ourselves. Now all you have to do is just kick back and relax for the best night of your life..." As Austin murmered these words lowly, he moved his warm hands to Christy's small hips, gracing her red lips with a tiny kiss. The woman kissed him back almost carelessly, breaking it almost as quickly as it had come. She offered a tiny smile up at Austin before spinning around so that her back was towards him and taking a few more steps into the room. The Wisconsin native stared after his girlfriend blankly for a few moments, debating on whether or not he should follow her or give her space. Christy crossed her arms across her stomach and turned back to him, shaking her head slowly.

"I'm sorry, Austin, it's not you. Really, I just... I have a lot on my mind right now." Letting out a small sigh, she studied the carpet beneath her heeled feet. Her skin tight black mini skirt continued to hug her hips, even as she shifted her body posture around to ease the tension off her sore feet. Licking her lips, she moved over to one of the beds, sitting down quietly in thought. She had been up half the night, consoling Jackie and twisting and turning with her own tortured nightmares. Just the thought of that worm AJ even thinking about anything with her best friend infuriated her. But she knew to keep it a secret, especially after all of the pleading Jackie had done for her to keep it quiet. Why? She didn't know why, but she wasn't about to ruin their friendship so easily.

"Come now, you can tell me. I told you I'd always be here for you, didn't I? Spill, Christ." Once again moving towards her and sitting down beside her, Austin cocked his head to the side, eyes staring into hers and cupping her small chin with his hand. Christy softly glanced back up at him, shoulders slumping and lips parting slightly. She pushed all of her thoughts into the back of her mind. It was better for everyone if she didn't dwell on things like those... at least for tonight. Jackie was fine on her own for a few hours and there was no way AJ would come back for round two. Putting on a brave smile, the red head shook her head.

"It's alright. I think I've got it all under control. Tonight's just about me and you. No one else." Giving him a nod as if to prove her point, she raised her hand to his cheek, fingers brushing against his skin while bringing her lips to his in a soft kiss. The man happily kissed her back, running his fingers through her soft hair. As he leaned more into the kiss, the shrill ring of the phone broke into the moment, breaking all contact all-together. Letting out an almost angry sigh, Austin rubbed his forehead.

"Take it." As Christy motioned towards the still ringing cell phone, she offered a smile to show that she was absolutely fine with it.

"Gimme three seconds, babe." Standing up and dusting off his blue jeans, he snatched the small device and made his way out the door. As she heard the small click meaning the door was closed, Christy leaned foreward, resting her elbows on her knees and head in her hands. Closing her eyes, she breathed out. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she had to tell Cornette now. She had made up her mind, she was going to spill and make sure AJ paid for what he had done.

Raking her fingers through her straight hair, Christy stood up, crossing her arms loosely across her stomach. Maybe Austin had Cornette's number somewhere. She knew he didn't like surprise visits, so an appointment would be the best bet. Walking over towards the night table, the small Knockout opened the draw, digging around and filing through things. Blinking almost cautiously, she picked up something definitely out of the ordinary that had caught her attention. With just one glance she knew what it was. A condom.

Furiously blinking once again, she stared at what now lay in her hand. Austin knew she wasn't planning on sleeping with him for a while now. She wanted this relationship to last and past ones had died away quickly enough due to sex. Biting down on her bottom lip and furrowing her eyebrows together tightly, she thought back to anything he may have hinted at. Anything.

When the door reopened, she dropped the condom back into the drawer, slamming it shut and spinning around on her heel just in time to notice Austin walking in. At the same time she saw him, he saw her and they both stared at each other oddly.

"Just... stretching my legs. Sorry, got bored." Letting out a nervous giggle, Christy tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and took a small step forward. Austin nodded, not thinking much about it.

"No problem. So where were we?" Putting on a sly smile, he moved over to her, abandoning his phone on a nearby table and wrapping his arms around her thin waist. Christy cleared her throat, biting down on her bottom lip once again.

"Uhm... you know what, Austin...? I... I think I'm coming down with something." Fake-coughing horribly, she shrugged faux lamently. "I should probably get going. Don't want to get you sick." Smiling unsurely back up at him, she pried herself out of his grasp and quickly strode towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." With a forced smile, she made her way out of the room and on the other side of the door. Austin watched her leave with a tiny blink of his eyes, staring at the door. Talk about weird.

* * *

Chris' hand traveled to his dirty blonde hair and he let out a deep sigh, slouched over what seemed like his eighth drink of the night. He desperately needed to get his mind onto something other than Alex. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, he couldn't even smile. Not after the past events, and especially not after he had spilled his heart to him last night and he didn't even do anything. Eyes furiously narrowing at the liquid before him, he brought the glass up to his lips, swallowing the mysterious drink quickly and painlessly.

Things had gotten so blown out of proportion as of late. He took one chance - just _one_ chance - and everything got shot to hell. He needed to know how to make things right. He just had to.

"'lex, c'mon, just let loose for tonight. You've been so over-stressed lately, besides, don't you want to drink?" The ever-familiar voice of Kevin's greeted Chris' ears and he instantly shot straight up out of his sulky state. His blurry eyes wildly looked for where Kevin was sitting, although he was more or less looking for the two-toned haired man sitting beside him. Honestly, he had never been so glad to hear the much bigger man's voice, which, for once in his presence, didn't sound monsterous and homicidal-like.

Finally, his blue eyes met those distressed brown ones and it took him a moment to realize that Alex was staring back at him, whether he noticed it or not. Blinking and somehow managing to startle himself, he turned around and went back to staring at his drink. He honestly felt like he was some immature school girl who was too shy to make silly eye contact with the boy she happened to be head over heels for. He slouched back over himself, closing his eyes before taking another sip of his poison for the night.

"I have to go." Alex stood up from his seat and spun around on his heel away from Kevin, who watched him do so through blurry and already intoxicated eyes. The smaller man finally tore his gaze away from Chris, taking a split second to make his decision to leave. Part of him didn't want to be in the same room as him, but the other part of him knew they had things that needed to be said and settled. But he was in no mood to argue with himself.

Swallowing his pride, he took a step in Chris' direction, not caring if Kevin was still watching or going back to flirting with the waitress. He stopped in his movements. What if Chris didn't want to talk? What if he thought things had been settled last night? What if he didn't get out what he needed to say? So many more "What if's" filled his mind and for a minute, he was ready to turn and run. Gritting his teeth together, he once again fought up the courage to walk across the room. He was going to do this and he was going to do this now.

As soon as he was about to meet his halfway mark, someone else waltzing up towards Chris caught his attention. Sonjay. Squeezing his eyes shut, he spun around quickly, almost as if he were hiding. But it was too late. Sonjay's seemingly taunting gaze found Alex and already a smirk graced the Indian man's lips.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my best buddy ever, Alex fuckin' Shelley. How ya been little emo boy. Enjoying life in the unemployed department?" Laughing cockily, Sonjay continued walking up to Alex, attention completely diverted away from Chris and whatever mini-mission of terror he originally had planned out. "Tell me, how does it feel to be the most hated man in all of the locker room? Oh, wait, you can't, you're too busy shoving your tongue down Chris' throat to give a hoot." Alex clenched his hands into tight fists at hearing insult upon insult and he continued to keep his eyes closed shut. Sonjay's words stung, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to him.

He spun around on his heel and started to walk towards the door, deciding to once again give up. Obviously this wasn't the time or place to talk to Chris. "What, just realizing that this was a straight bar, 'lexie? I mean, I surely wouldn't hope that you'd feel too out of place here, me having the final say as to who can be in here and whatnot." Sonjay was obviously enjoying this all too much. Alex stopped dead in his tracks and wildly, he spun back around to face the other man, eyes narrowed darkly.

"I was here first, you screwbag." Although it was short and obviously uneffective, it was still something. Someone could only take so much torment before they finally snapped, and Sonjay was severely pushing the limit.

"Oh, so now I'm a screwbag?" Still smirking widely, Sonjay looked Alex up and down. When Alex offered a shakey nod and tried to put on a tough exterior, he only smirked all the more. "Well, I'd rather be a screwbag than be gay." By now, the two were gathering a small crowd that Sonjay was all-too obviously feeding off of. Alex blinked back frustrated tears at that low blow once again, swallowing the lump in his throat to muster out some more words.

"Go to hell." Putting all of his anger into those three simple words, he dug his nails into his palms, teeth still gritting against each other and eyebrows still furrowed deeply together beneath his hair. Sonjay seemed to have had stayed up all night planning snarky comeback after snarky comeback. His taunting smirk never once left his face, even as he spit out more bullshit.

"Why? So I can visit you, fag?" That was the last straw. Without thinking, Alex leaped into action, tackling Sonjay to the floor and throwing blind punches at his face. He was sick of his crap and he was sick of his immature antics. He wasn't putting up with it anymore. Shouting out random insults that came to mind, the two-toned haired man continued trying to punch randomly, hoping that at least one time his fist would connect with Sonjay's smug smirk. The other man reached up to try and knock Alex off of him, his eyes now squeezed shut. Both men continued trying to grab at each other until someone had managed to grab Alex off of Sonjay and a few others had grabbed Sonjay before he could get back at Alex.

"Yeah, I bet you like having strange men grab you, right? You got lucky, Shelley. Hope you feel oh so loved seeing as your little boy toy stood there and did _nothing_." Snarling, Sonjay had ripped the hands away from him and given Alex a deathly glare. He disappeared through the crowd, leaving Alex staring after him. The person had loosened his grip around Alex's waist, casting a small glance down at him.

"You alright, kid?" He let his arms hang loosely at his sides, worriedly looking at Alex more closely.

"I'm fine." With a quick look in Chris' general direction, Alex spun around and shoved people out of his way. Storming towards the exit as quickly as possible. In fact, he couldn't have felt much farther away from fine if he had tried.

* * *

As the door slammed behind him, Chris knew that he wasn't alone. There was someone else in the room. Frustratedly, he rubbed his temples. After what went down with Sonjay and Alex only a few moments ago, he really wasn't sure he could handle vistors, drunk or sober. Moving into the room, he stopped dead in his tracks, both hands left hanging at his sides while blue eyes stared ahead of himself at the back of the black t-shirted person standing there.

"Alex?" Blinking wildly, he cocked his head to the side, straining his eyes to see whether or not his mind was playing tricks on him. Hesitantly, Alex slumped his shoulders and turned around, looking up to meet Chris' gaze. He frowned and lowered his eyes to the floor. "What are you doing here...?"

"I needed to... we need to talk... about us." Alex regretting spitting out those words as soon as they left his lips and he closed his eyes. Chris let a glimmer of hope flick through his own two eyes, but he thought back to the bar just a few seconds earlier. Chewing on his lip questionably, Chris arched an eyebrow.

"And what about what went down with Sonjay...?" Alex felt himself tense up at the mention of the Indian man and his breath caught in his throat. Chris took quick notice of this, but persisted anyway. He wanted to get to the bottom of all of this. "What you did back there wasn't necessary..."

"Oh, so you're taking his side!? After everything, you just stood there and did _nothing_." Alex quickly jumped to defense, eyes opening and glaring holes into Chris and his stupid empty head. Chris stuffed his fists into his pockets, eyebrow still risen curiously, trying his best to stay calm when inside, his stomach was doing flips.

"You started a fight with Sonjay out of nowhere, what was I supposed to do?" The dirty-blonde man cleared his throat, eyes changing view down to the floor, not being able to look at Alex any longer. Alex's expression turned from anger to hurt and he bit down on his bottom lip, closing his eyes tightly.

"...he was really mean."

"Alex."

Chris and Alex both looked up at the same time, eyes narrowed at one another. Alex angrily took a step forward.

"You're supposed to be there for me, you... stupid fruitcup!" This earned another raised eyebrow from Chris and although he knew this wasn't the time or place, he couldn't help but let a sly smirk cross his features. This was the Alex he knew.

"Fruitcup?"

"Shut up!" The dark-eyed man snapped this harshly, making no effort to lower his voice in case anyone would walk by the room, or even be sleeping nearby. Instead, his voice rose with each word he spoke, "Go find your best friend Sonjay. I'm sure he'd _love_ to deal with your pathetic shit." Without waiting for a response, Alex marched over to the door and flung it open.

"Don't walk away from me, Alex! This isn't over!" But it was too late, the door was already slammed and Alex was already gone. Chris glared at the inanimate object, hands clenched into fists while tears of frustration filled his eyes. If Alex wanted things to remain fucked up even after everything he said, then fine. He was done caring... or at least he wanted to be.

* * *

Jackie rubbed her forehead tiredly, remaining curled up on her side and staring at the wall before her. She shut her tightly, letting out a shallow breath of hair. To say she felt like crap would be an understatement. She had barely even moved from this position since Christy left forever ago to meet up with Austin.

She grit her teeth together, eyes remaining shut pitifully. Every little noise gave her a migrane and even the smell of food churned her stomach and she had to make a quick dash to the bathroom. She honestly couldn't remember ever being around someone sick, so she hadn't figured out quite what it was just yet.

But it had come and gone just like that. One minute she was fine, the next she wasn't. Confusing as hell, but at least it gave her a good amount of time to just sit around and think about things. Especially things like how she went from being the picture perfect Knockout to being the one in the middle of all the drama.

But she really wouldn't have changed a thing, well, except for AJ, that is. As dramatic as her life had become, she enjoyed being there for Alex and Chris. She loved being the one they both trusted at least somewhat, even if she had no idea how she felt about Alex anymore. It wasn't as if they were ever going to go anywhere, so why bother? Why put herself through that pain?

Just as that thought crossed through her mind, the door swung open and Christy waltzed in, tossing her purse carelessly onto the other bed. She studied Jackie for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"How ya holding up, sweetie?"

"Better, I suppose. Could always be worse." Jackie shrugged in response, sitting up and pressing her lips together.

"You sure you don't want to go to the doctor's? What if it's something serious?" The red head continued peering at Jackie. She played with her hair nervously, chewing on her bottom lip now. Jackie's eyes moved to the bed sheets.

"I highly doubt it. I mean, nothing's been going around... has it?"

"I don't think so... but still. Maybe it's alcohol poisoning?" Christy's blue eyes widened as the thought popped up, trying to push all the thoughts of Austin out of her mind and deciding to deal with Jackie's problems for now, "What if AJ knew that you weren't one for alcohol and deliberately made you drink a lot and now you're poisoned and gonna die!" The other woman arched a curious eyebrow.

"Christy, I highly doubt it's _that_ serious. If anything, I may have just caught something from someone. No big deal. Really."

"Or what if it's an STD? You know they're very common now-"

"Christy."

"Or what if he put something in your drink when you weren't looking?"

"_Christy_."

"Or what if the place was totally unsanatary and you caught wind of something because he was completely irresponsible-"

"Christy!"

"Oh my gosh! What if you're pregnant!?"

"_Christy_!"

Finally, Jackie managed to snap her best friend into the now and out of her little dream sequence by snapping her fingers. She let out a slow, careful breath before speaking, looking Christy dead in the eye.

"I'm not going to die, I'm not poisoned, I don't have some strange STD, and I'm _not_ pregnant. Trust me, I'm just... sick is all. Like I said, no big deal." Jackie stood up, pulling her hair over her shoulder and moving over towards the door after pulling on her shoes. "Now I'm going to get something to eat and if there's anymore crazy talk, I'm staying down there. Got it?"

"Got it."

Christy nodded, watching as Jackie pulled open the door and disappeared on the other side. Even with Jackie's reassurance, she couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong and off. She felt like there was more to it than some silly little virus. But she really hoped she was wrong.

* * *

A/N: Okay, now I know this doesn't make up entirely for the lack of updates, but I full-heartedly apologize. Forgive me? Please? Lol. But don't worry, before you all kill me, the next few chapters SHOULD make you all love me again, trust me... not to give anything away or anything. Coughcough. :) And I promise, the next chapter WILL be up ASAP, which means, very soon. Trust me.


	17. So Kiss Me Goodbye

A/N: Oh my gosh. Someone was missed, eh? Haha. Thank you, guyss. :) You have no idea how much every single person who reviews means to me and to get seven reviews in less than a week is just... wow. Simply phenominal.

And WOAH. Hold the phone... I just realized that the offical one-year anniversary of this story passed as of April 28th. So yay! You're all invited to the celebration, of course. Haha. Continuing onwards...

There's also a little poll up in my profile concerning another ChrisAlex story in the makes, so if you would all kindly head over and take a tour of my lovely little piece of work I call a profile and put in your two cents, it would be greatly appreciated.

Oh and there's also a forum concerning Chris and Alex called Murder City Machine Guns Fans Unite... or some other shit like that. Check it out! Thank you!

* * *

Chris rubbed his hands together anxiously, sitting back on his bed. He leaned back slightly against the wall, elbows resting on his knees. After what had went down with Alex the other night, he needed a break from it all. He needed to get away. So being the amazing escape master that he was, he called up a few people and with a pull of a few strings, managed to get considered for a booking over in Japan for a while. Just something to pay the bills and get his mind off of Alex for a bit.

Now all he had left was to wait for that damned phone call. The one telling him he was or wasn't on the card. After a few more moments, the phone rang, causing the Michigan native to practically leap off of the bed and snatch the phone off the hook.

"Hello!?"

Of course hiding the excitement and anxiety in his voice was harder than he thought it was, but at this current moment, he didn't care any more. All he wanted to knwo what whether or not he should start packing his bags. Screw seeming professional. Besides, they already knew him over there.

"Congratulations, buddy boy. You made the cut. Be sure to get here by tomorrow night, nine p.m. sharp. The tour will be featuring people like you, so be prepared for a full three-month's travel." The voice on the other line held a thick Japanese accent, but Chris had been able to understand every single word they spoke. Grinning wildly, he stood up and thanked the messenger before hanging up and promising he would be on the next flight out.

"Maybe there is such thing as a stroke of luck." Rubbing the back of his neck almost sheepishly although he was utterly alone now, he made his way over towards his closet, grabbing his black duffel bag. Already he could feel himself start to ease up a little. Japan always seemed to come in at exactly the right time with the right words. Only difference was that he would be flying solo. No Sonjay to keep him company on the plane ride. No Jay to drive him to the airport. And no Alex to poke fun at alongside Sonjay.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, slumping his shoulders. Alex. He always seemed to pop up and burst his bubble. Not once was he going to allow himself to think of the two-toned haired, dark eyed, fellow Michigan native man. Not once. He was going to make sure of it. He was using this trip to get away from his problems, not drag them with him.

Shaking his head of the cobwebs, he went back to digging around and flinging various clothing items in his bag. In flew a Billabong hoodie, in flew a random dirty pair of jeans, in flew a mob of t-shirts he had gotten at half-price from PacSun. He didn't care if he overpacked. He was going to fucking Japan for a full three _months_. Not some silly little week tour. Not some little five-day tour with one match and eight million promos. But a full three months of pure wrestling. Life was certainly looking up.

But that also meant three months away from Alex...

"Stop it, Chris." Moving his palm to his face, Chris closed his eyes. He was being ridiculous. Alex wouldn't miss him those three months, so why should he even cross his mind? After all, he had already told himself he was over caring. He wasn't going to let himself fall into a mopey phase and dwell on things like this. Japan was just what he needed and three months was just too short a time.

* * *

Jackie shook her head wildly as she stared down at the small item in her hand. She leaned against the marble counter inside the personal bathroom she and Christy shared, chewing on her lip while her eyes widened. It couldn't be true. These things were screwed up all the time. It didn't mean that just because _one_ test said so she actually was.

Christy was just getting to her. Frustratedly, the blonde rubbed her forehead with her hands, moaning slightly. She dropped the positive pregnancy test on the counter thoughtlessly. Just because Christy said it was a possibility and just because she didn't remember if AJ used protection or not did _not_ mean she was pregnant. Especially not with his kid. Never.

"Jacks, are you alright in there?" Softly knocking on the door, Christy frowned. Jackie opened her eyes, glancing at the locked door cautiously before letting out a tiny breath of air.

"Yeah. Just... freshening up is all." She rubbed the back of her head, fluffing up her hair in the process before tossing out the test. It had to be lying. It just had to. Maybe she should try again? Maybe she did it wrong? Maybe the answers got screwed up? Maybe, maybe, maybe. Her head began to spin and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Breathe, Jackie, breathe." She closed her eyes tightly, taking in deep breaths.

"...are you sure?" Christy leaned against the door, twirling her red hair between her fingers and still frowning.

"Positive."

Gritting her teeth together, Jackie had made up her mind. She stared back at her reflection in the mirror. That one test wasn't able to prove a damn thing. Only a doctor would be able to prove anything. And she wasn't about to go about and try another of these falsey-talsey things. She wanted the absolute truth and she wanted it now.

Swallowing her pride, she spun around on her heel, choking back the knot in her throat.

"I'm gonna head out for a bit. Tell Austin I say hi." Giving her smaller friend a tiny nod, Jackie straightened out her dark green tube top and pulled her curled hair over her shoulders. Christy blinked, refusing to think about her still current boyfriend at the moment.

"Don't you want me to come?" The usually spunky red head's curious question made Jackie stop in her tracks for a split second. She shook her head slowly, offering a tiny and reassuring smile.

"It's nothing, just going for a drive. Don't worry about it. Just... go hang out with Austin or something for now, alright?" Hugging Christy as if to further prove things were more than okay, the blonde grabbed her purse and walked out the door, cell phone in hand. Words echoed in her head, but she refused to think about any of them. Right now, all she wanted was a professional's help.

* * *

Alex let out a low sigh, closing his eyes as he jammed his fists into his jean's pockets. His form fittin black and red t-shirt had wrinkled in it, but he really didn't care at the current moment. He had one too many other things on his mind to worry about stupid things like clothes. Opening his eyes, he glanced up at the sky, continuing to walk along the sidewalk towards the coffee shop. It was one of the few places he had to just be able to sit back and think things through, which he needed to do more than ever.

If Sonjay hadn't started shit, him and Chris would've never gotten into yet another fight. They never would've screamed at each other and he would've never spent the entire night walking around; his disheveled hair and wrinkled clothing was more than enough proof of that.

But if Sonjay hadn't started things, where would the two be now? Would they still be fighting? Or would they actually be making peace and talking things over? There was so many possibilities, he didn't know where to begin.

As Alex rounded the corner, the coffee shop finally came into full view. As completely exhausted as he was, coffee was an amazing picker-upper. Without wasting another moment, the two-toned haired man had opened the glass door and was on his way to the counter.

As much as the place reminded him of Chris and the constant talks they had in here, he tried his hardest to push the dirty blonde man away and out of his thoughts. He was thinking in useless circles and getting absolutely nowhere. Besides, Chris should be the one worrying about everything, shouldn't he? After all, he pretty much started everything.

"Oh my gosh, is that really true?" A curious female voice broke into Alex's buzzing thoughts and he cast his dark eyes upwards in front of him where three women stood. Two had dark hair while the other stood out with her blazing red hair. Without a doubt Christy, although Alex didn't give the other two much thought. The red head wasn't his biggest fan, so he figured he would tune out before she caught him eavesdropping.

"You're friends with Chris, right?" The tallest of the women opened her mouth, head turning to the side slightly to look at Gail Kim, who stood beside her. Hearing that four letter word made Alex tune back in and his heart skipped a beat.

"Kind of. Well, used to be at least."

"Well... do you know anything behind the rumor of him going to Japan?" Tracy continued staring at one of her best friends quizzically, an eyebrow raising.

"Huh?"

At this, Alex frowned and silently begged Tracy to continue explaining what was going on.

"Yeah, word's getting out that he's going to Japan for a while tonight. Might even leave TNA all-together." She shrugged herself, twirling her thick wavy hair around her forefinger. Christy, however, remained turned towards the counter, interesting herself in the many choices of cappuchinos awaiting her.

"...where did you hear this?" Gail's eyebrows knit into a furious knot and she studied the Knockout before her. Tracy smacked her lips together as if she had to think back a whole twenty minutes ago.

"Well... Back in the locker rooms I over-heard Robby talking to a couple of the guys and Kevin was talking about the situation. Said something like Chris had talked to TNA Management and everything. He's prepared to leave if he's not let back on the show ASAP." She moved her hands to her hips. "Shame, I really liked that guy."

"Mm, me too. He was pretty cute. Too bad he's gay." Gail sucked in her hair and licked her lips. Tracy nodded back.

"I totally know what you're saying. But after that whole situation at the party the other night with that Alex guy, I'm not too sure about him. Might be better for everyone as a whole if he left, y'know?"

"Agreed. This whole fiasco's getting out of hand. Don't get me wrong, Chris is a sweet guy, but if he's starting to hang out with Alex again, I'm going to have to just stop trusting him. You know that old saying, lay with the dogs long enough and you're bound to get fleas." Gail frowned almost sympathetically, taking her time in looking at the choices she had to drink. Tracy fluffed up her hair before speaking herself.

"Yeah. With a reputation like Alex's, I wouldn't want to be caught dead with him. I'm still scared to see what he filmed Jackie doing all that while back. Invasion of privacy much? Kevin and Austin don't even like the guy. They pity him."

"Well who _doesn't_ know that? Kevin's already admitted it multiple times and Austin's rarely around, so whatever. I'm surprised Alex still has a job after all of the shit he's pulled." Gail finally stepped forward, smiling at the teenage boy behind the counter as she proceeded to order something, Christy and Tracy by her side. Alex, however, remained rooted to his spot, staring after the small trio.

Did they not notice him standing here? Did they not know well enough to look around before opening their mouths? He shook his head and spun around on his heel. He was in no mood to deal with any of this.

Couldn't _anyone_ let go of his past? Screw up one time and it remained on your permanent file for good. But even Kevin was saying shit behind his back..? Alex threw open the door, swiftly making his way out and back down the sidewalk at a faster pace than before. He needed to figure things out and had to set his priorities straight. He needed to know what was right and what was wrong.

Stopping dead in his tracks, he let out a tiny sigh, rubbing his forehead and pushing his hair out of his eyes. If Chris was seriously contemplating leaving TNA for good and if he was actually going to Japan tonight, that meant he only had a few more hours left to catch him and straighten things out.

He felt so lost... so confused. His mind was screaming one thing while his heart told him a completely different story. His mind repeatedly told him that he should forget about Chris and move on, stop caring. If he was willing to leave so easily, why should he remain hung up on someone who only managed to make him cry and break his heart again and again?

But there went his heart... telling him the exact opposite. Deep down, he felt like he _needed_ to talk to Chris and that he needed to go after him. He knew Chris had good intentions, but he just wasn't sure how much more crap he could deal with before he finally broke once and for all.

Letting out a shaky breath of air, Alex opened his eyes and stared at the concrete beneath his feet. What would Jackie tell him to do?

_"Alex, you can't help who you fall in love with, I out of all people should know that. But I think that you're falling for Chris because he's one of the only people who's truly determined to help you. He's been there for you since you two were in school. Yeah, you guys had a huge rough patch, but you're over that. And I understand that you're scared of loving him, who isn't scared of falling in love? I remember I was terrified on my first date with my first boyfriend. Love scares people and it's alright, it's what makes it interesting. You just need to open up to him and let your friendship rekindle. Take it slow, alright?" Jackie could barely suppress the grin beginning to tug at the corners of her lips._

Alex could clearly remember back to that night. It was the night when Austin had convinced him to go to the movies and he had first started talking to Jackie. But she had a point. Even if love scared him and even if Chris kept hurting him, he wasn't going to give up. He was going to try and fix things.

He was going to go after him before it was too late.

* * *

Jackie bit down on her bottom lip, eyes staring down ahead of herself nervously. Each second seemed like a minute and each minute seemed like an hour and axiety was setting in. The doctor had disappeared what seemed like hours ago and she had been left alone. The blonde leaned back into the chair, legs crossed and bottom lip numb from being chewed on. She was sick of waiting.

Finally, the doctor reemerged, papers and manilla folder in hand. She looked the woman over for a second before settling the paperwork on a nearby table. She looked at Jackie seriously for a second, hands in the pockets of her white coat.

"So telll me, what exactly made you think you were pregnant?" Raising an eyebrow out of sheer curiosity, the brunette leaned against the exam bench. Jackie finally looked up and offered a weak shrug.

"Well... uh, a couple nights ago, me and this guy kind of got... intimate, I suppose, and I wasn't at all prepared, so there was like... zero protection. Then a few days later I started feeling sick and just... blah. Earlier I took a pregnancy test and it came out... positive." Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jackie blinked back tears. The last thing she wanted and needed right now was to be pregnant. Especially with someone like AJ's kid. "Please tell me I'm just catching something and that test lied... please."

For a split second, the doctor frowned, but she quickly went back to her emotionless expression and stood up straight, eyes locking with Jackie's teary ones.

"I could do one of two things. I could give you the truth or I could swing it whatever way you want... Which is it?"

Even with that option, Jackie knew what the answer would be. But even so, her heart pounded wildly in her chest and her hands shook uncontrollably.

"The truth..." She managed to let out, eyes looking at the floor, still blinking back the hot tears. The doctor raked her fingers through her long hair before placing a comforting hand on Jackie's shoulder.

"Jacqueline... Jackie... As much as I hate having to tell you this... you _are_ pregnant." Jackie let her head fall into her hands at hearing this, giving up on holding back the tears. The doctor gave the blonde's shoulder a light squeeze, "But it's still early in the pregnancy. You still have options to choose from. It's going to be alright."

The Knockout looked up to meet the doctor's gaze, eyebrow raising as she finally stood up, hands clenching into tight fists.

"It's going to be alright!? How can you stand there and tell me it's going to be alright? I'm not even dating the guy who frickin' gave me this kid and I'm a wrestler! I can't be pregnant. Please... tell me this is some horrible nightmare... please." Jackie wrapped her arms around herself, sniffling quietly and looking down at her feet pathetically. The doctor shook her head.

"I'm sorry..." She once again put her hand on Jackie's shoulder, "If you're a wrestler, you should know about pain. Just stay strong, Jackie. You'll make it along fine, trust me. But look, just go home, take a nap and think everything through. Don't make any stupid decisions, okay?"

Jackie nodded back, but remained silent. Without another word, the doctor had opened and closed the door, leaving Jackie once again by herself. She still couldn't believe it. She couldn't be pregnant... AJ couldn't have done that to her.

* * *

Christy ran her fingers through her hair later on that evening. She had come down to the arena early before the show could start, and hopefully before anyone else came, to think things through and take her time in reciting her promo for that night. Jackie had disappeared the entire day and luckily, Austin was nowhere to be found either.

The usually fiery red head sat down on one of the wooden benches inside the Knockout's locker room, digging around through her bags for her ring gear that night. The door to the room opening caught her interest and interestedly, she peeked up, just to find Leticia and SoCal waltzing, Leticia's mouth moving a mile a minute.

Not finding anything new with this, Christy went back to rummaging, tucking her hair behind her ear and pressing her red lips together tightly in thought.

"But seriously, 'Callie, you have _no_ idea how good he was. Something must've been up because guys are usually never like that." The chirpy blonde twirled her hair around her forefinger with a small giggle. SoCal grinned back at her best friend, shaking her head.

"I just still can't believe you actually went out that far. I mean, you know how many of the other Knockouts, past and present, he's been with, right?" She placed a hand on her small hip, eyeing Leticia momentarally.

"Yeah, but still. The rumors about him are definitely right. You should give it a go. Sure he'd have no problem with you, miss Val." Continuing to giggle like a schoolgirl, Leticia had made her way over to her things, slinging her tiny bag over her shoulder as if she were going on some adventurous hike and not two feet away. "Leticia Starr. Or would it be Aries...?"

"I think Aries. Starr is only temporary, sweetie." SoCal sat down on the bench across from Christy, leaning back and stretching her legs out before her and pulling down her emerald green dress so better cover her thighs. Leticia plopped down beside her, bag on lap. At hearing Austin's last name being mentioned multiple times, Christy peeked up, staring at the two women she had considered somewhat friends.

"Huh?"

Both girls turned to look at her, studying her quizzically.

"What?" SoCal raised an eyebrow, still looking at Christy funny. Letica, on the other hand, went back to her previous work.

"You guys are talking about Austin, right? Our Austin...?"

"Duh." This earned an eye roll from Leticia, although she chewed on her lip thoughtfully at what lay in the bag, contemplating between three outfit choices. Christy's eyes flicked over to the only blonde in the room.

"So you're saying you... slept... with Austin?" Even as she strained herself to speak, Christy knew the obvious answer by the looks of it. Austin was sleeping around behind her back.

"Mhm. Of course. But really, who could sleep?" Leticia flicked her perfectly straightened hair back over her shoulder, not putting much thought into her answer. SoCal grinned in Christy's direction.

"I've never seen her this excited over a guy. Especially one she's not even dating. Sheesh. Aren't you happy for her, Christy?" She let out a soft laugh, continuing to lean back and glance between the two. Standing up slowly, Christy put her bag down on the bench and smoothed off her black mini skirt.

"Ecstatic..." She shakily played with her hair, eyes casting to the floor. This couldn't have been true. Just because she wouldn't put out? Just because of one night? There had to be more to it... shouldn't there? "Guys, I'm gonna go get something to drink, I'll see you tonight at the show." Offering a weak smile, she turned on her heel and opened the door, making her way down the hallway.

It couldn't be true. it just couldn't be. But even as much as she tried to convince herself that it wasn't, the tears came anyway.

* * *

Chris rubbed the back of his neck nervously, frowning slightly as he took in the sight of the planes outside the giant glass window. He had double checked and triple checked that he had brought absolutely everything he needed. Clothes, cell phone, i-pod, money, credit cards, ID, passport, wrestling gear... everything but his heart.

That was one item he would never be able to bring anywhere. He had given it away and was never getting it back. Running his fingers through his shaggy hair, the dirty-blonde man let out a sigh, carelessly glancing at his bags by his foot. A few feet away, people busily typed away on laptops and others read while some ate and chatted, but he had been standing by the giant windows all-the while, thinking, contemplating.

He couldn't sit still, especially not long enough to read some silly little book where everyone lived happily ever after. And it wasn't as if he had people back here wanting to speak to him at the current moment.

"Flight 732 to Tokyo, Japan, now boarding."

Sighing deeply to himself, Chris bent down to retrieve his two black duffel bags. He bit down on his bottom lip and closed his eyes for a brief moment. This was it. Just three months and he'd be back. That was all there was to it... unfortunately. He stepped towards the line of people forming by the gate and made sure his ticket was out and ready to be presented. There was absolutely no going back now.

* * *

Christy irritably wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, ignoring the black smudges now adorning her skin. She should've known better. She should've never trusted Jackie's words. The red head sniffled quietly, but continued on her way down the hallway. If Austin thought he was going to get the last laugh in this and all she was going to do was cry in her own self-pity, then he was wrong.

As she rounded a corner, she quickly spotted the man responsible for all of this. As usual, a grin was plastered on his smug face and he was standing around, on his cell phone as if he had done absolutely nothing wrong. Gritting her teeth together as even more anger filled her, Christy put on a brave face and made her way over to him.

Upon noticing his girlfriend, Austin cracked a toothy smile in her direction and snapped the cell phone shut, only to notice the scowl firmly planted on her face.

"You two-timing, low-lifed, son of a bitch." Before even finishing this sentence, Christy had reeled her hand back and sent it back towards his face in a harsh slap that echoed throughout the hallway. "When you see me in the halls, don't look at me. When you see me at the bar, don't walk up to me. And when you see me on the streets, don't talk to me. Because me and you are _over_."

Spinning around on her heel, she flipped her hair over her shoulder in hopes of trying to keep herself from tearing up again, but it was obviously failing. She had just made it back around the corner before she fell against it, hugging herself. She had trusted him...

Meanwhile, Austin stared after her, one hand raised to his cheek. Eyes wide, he turned around to the sound of approaching heels. Leticia standing there, looking about as caring as an aged school teacher, caused his face to fall and he quickly put together the two pieces.

"You told her."

Quietly, the blonde woman shook her head, tucking her bangs back out of her eyes.

"No. No, I didn't." She continued to hold up her end of the eye contact, refusing to let him actually think he meant anything to her. After noticing Christy's odd behavior, she had followed and overheard what had happened, obviously knowing the end result.

"Then how'd she find out?" Austin's eyes cast back over his shoulder in the direction Christy had gone. Leticia drew a tiny breath before speaking.

"Because you were stupid, Austin. You had us both fooled." With a tiny shake of her head, she turned back around on her heel in the direction she had come from. Austin was once again left watching her leave him completely and utterly alone.

* * *

Alex stopped for a quick second to catch his breath, brown eyes wide and frantically looking around himself. He had spent nearly an hour getting past inspection and all of that other useless crap and his mind was running twice it's normal rate. He desperately needed to find Chris before his plane took off. And if he missed him... well he really didn't know what he'd do.

After all of the bullshit he had put up with and all of the drama he had made Chris deal with, he felt like this was the right approach. His heart told him so and in his mind and gut, he knew it even more.

As his eyes scanned and inspected person by person, he bit down on his bottom lip, heart pounding furiously in his chest. Finally, the ever-familiar black hoodie competing with dirty-blonde hair caught his eye and for a moment, he stood frozen in his spot. How would he approach Chris? Would he casually walk up and beg him to stay? Would he go with him? Would he stand here forever? What?

Without a second thought, he had took off sprinting in Chris' direction, and as he grew nearer and nearer, he could tell for a definite fact it was him and not some silly imposter.

"Chris!" Alex couldn't help himself but scream out his name, no longer thinking clearly, but more or less acting on impulse. He had to. If he had put thought into it, he knew he would screw all of this up and end up chickening out... like always. Hearing his name being called caused the taller man to turn around curiously, only to be attacked in a huge hug, his bags instinctively dropping to the ground as he reached out to balance himself, as well as whacking the business man standing before him.

Before Chris could react anymore, he felt someone's warm lips press up against his. It took him a moment or two to actually realize what was going on and just who it was, and when he did, he wrapped his arms around them, pulling them closer to him and kissing them back deeply. Alex kept his own arms wrapped tightly around Chris' neck, eyes closed and head tilted back as he kissed Chris with absolutely everything he had.

All of his frustrations disappeared and all of his anger dissolved into nothing. It was just him and Chris and time seemed to stand still for both of them. Nothing else matter but each other, and honestly, it felt too good to be true. It just felt right.

Finally, Alex pulled back and opened his eyes, his lips still tingling with Chris' touch. He averted his gaze to the ground for a split second before looking back up to his on-again, off-again friend. His ex-tag team partner. His lover? Confused brown eyes met concerned blue ones and for a second, neither man said anything, but stood there, staring at each other.

"Don't leave me again, Chris. Please..."

Alex spoke in a low manner, his vision blurring as his voice cracked unwillingly. Chris moved his one hand from around Alex's waist up to the back of his head, tangling his fingers in his messy brown hair as he leaned his forehead against Alex's.

"I have to... I already made all of the plans and said yes. I'm only going to be gone for three months, Alex. I'll be back before you know it..." Chris swallowed almost nervously. Alex coming was definitely something he didn't expect, and a kiss and begging to stay was even more unexpected. But he wasn't complaining. He felt as if he had finally cracked Alex's wall and broke down the barrier. He had finally gotten to him. And now he was leaving again...

"Three months is twelve weeks too long... I... I need you." Alex once again went back to biting down on his bottom lip, refusing to break eye contact. Chris gave him a tiny smile, still running his fingers through Alex's hair.

"Look... 'lex... I thought you should know," Chris paused, searching Alex's eyes for a moment before continuing onwards, "...I found a reason to change who I used to be. After everything we've done together and all... I'm sorry that I hurt you and honestly, I wish I could take away all of the pain I put you through. I know I'm not a perfect person and I really never meant to do those things to you. So that reason... that reason for me turning myself around and opening my eyes... Yeah, it was you."

Alex remained silent for a second while Chris listened to his own words repeat over and over inside his head. He really didn't know where they went from here, but as of the current moment, he couldn't care less.

"We built a friendship up to watch it fall... like it meant absolutely nothing at all. Like we weren't good enough for each other. When you walked away from me all that time ago, you stole a piece of my heart, Chris. Although back then it was the piece that considered you as just a friend and nothing more... it's changed... a lot. And honestly? No matter how hard I try... I can't hate you anymore. I love you..." Alex's mouth ran dry as he spoke and he choked on his own words while Chris listened intently.

"I love you too, 'lex. Always and forever." The blue eyed man felt his own eyes finally begin to blur and instinctively, he leaned forward to once again kiss Alex again. The two-toned haired man kissed him back without hesitation, knowing all-too well that he absolutely meant what he said.

He loved Chris.

And Chris loved him too.

Breaking the contact once again, Chris watched Alex's eyes flick to the ground. Tilting his head to the side, Chris moved his hand to brush Alex's hair out of his eyes, watching him intently, even as people in line moved around them irritably.

"Just stay strong, buddy. I still have your number. I'll call you every day... and there are computers over in Japan... I just don't know if I can read Japanese... So we'll stick to the phone thing, okay?" Chris gave Alex a soft grin, to which the dark eyed man nodded back.

"Okay."

"Now I really have to go, but I'll see you soon. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone, alright?" Alex finally looked up as Chris spoke those words, and for the first time, he smiled.

"You know it."

Chris chuckled quietly and he threw a small glance in the direction he was supposed to be headed. Already the line had drastically gotten shorter. He sighed inwardly, but looked back at Alex.

"Bye, 'lexie." Carefully running his fingers down the side of Alex's cheek, he made sure to keep his eyes focused on Alex's.

"Bye, Chris." Alex felt himself get pulled into a hug, and he gratefully wrapped his arms around Chris' waist, head leaning against his shoulder. Chris went back to tangling his fingers in Alex's hair, his other hand remaining on the small of his back. If he had it his way, they would stay like that forever.

He missed Alex's hugs, he missed the way Alex looked at him without hatred and most of all, he missed Alex. The man he had spent the past few weeks with wasn't Alex. It was someone pretending to be Alex. But this person standing here before him, this was Alex. This was the Alex he grew up with and knew and this was the Alex he loved. He knew it.

"Final boarding call for flight 732 to Tokyo, Japan."

Reluctantly, Chris pulled himself away from Alex. The shorter of the two let out a tiny sigh, peering up at Chris almost pathetically. Once again pushing Alex's hair out of his eyes, Chris mumbled another bye before picking up his bags and heading over towards the gate.

Alex watched him leave, slumping his shoulders slightly. Despite what had happened the past few weeks, he wanted Chris to stay. Things had finally been picking up and just like that, things would slump back down. But if it was only for three months, he'd be able to survive. He had to.

* * *

A/N: Hm... wow. I think a lot... kinda?... happened in this chapter. Hope you all liked it anyhow, haha. I still love my Chris and Alex... even if their damn scene wasn't coming right AT ALL and pissed me off. Meh. Please R&R.


	18. Remember What You Said

A/N: Thanks once again you guys! Finally knocked my research paper out of the way, so back to this story, yay!

* * *

Alex sighed inwardly, glancing at himself in the bathroom mirror as he frowned. He nervously played with a strand of blonde hair before glancing over towards the cell phone that lay ontop of his black and silver button up shirt. Chewing on his lip, Alex leaned against the counter and stared at the shower as water poured out of the nozzle. It had been two weeks since Chris had left, and every day it killed him more and more to not be by his side.

It also didn't help that Kevin hadn't really been around as much, whereas Austin had been. The flamboyant Wisconsin native apparently had major girl problems, so crashing out on Alex's bed and drinking with Kevin were things that supposedly helped. Bull shit.

The two-toned haired man scoffed to himself, but couldn't help but grin at hearing the ever-familiar sound of his phone vibrating. Picking up the tiny silver electronic, he flipped it open to reveal a new text message. Pressing the _open_ button, his eyes quickly scanned what had been sent, which immediately sent shivers down his spine.

_Call me tonight, 'lexie._

_- Chris_

As hard as he fought it, Alex couldn't help but grin. His dark eyes reread the words a few more times before finally punching in a reply.

_And what if I don't, buddy boy?_

_- Alex_

Short, sweet and to the point with only a hint of sarcasm. Closing the phone, Alex raised it to his chin, pressing the bottom of the phone against his skin as he seemed to think over what had happened the past two weeks. The pair had constantly kept in contact, but only through simple text messages. Tonight would be the first night either of them had brought up an actual phone call.

The phone vibrating caught Alex off-guard and he almost dropped it, but saved himself at the last minute and once again flipped it open.

_Well then you wouldn't get to hear my ever-so charming voice, which you totally love, by the way._

_- Chris_

He knew him too well. Alex hurriedly tried to think of a response, heart beat actually picking up speed as excitement began to flow through him.

_Oh yes, your voice is the last thing I think of before I go to bed at night. Screw my I-pod, right?_

_- Alex_

He chuckled to himself after sending the message back over to Chris. Raking his fingers through his floppy multicolored hair, Alex spun back around to look at himself in the mirror. He wiped his free hand's sweaty palm on his dark blue jeans while the other still wrapped itself around the cell phone.

These silly little text messages were the only things getting him by the past two weeks. Things had certainly been looking up, or at least a little bit. He had smiled at Kevin the other day, despite knowing that at least one time he had spoken crap about him. He had rebleached his hair and had actually laughed at one of Austin's lame attempts to cheer himself up, which included him talking to himself and telling some corny as anything jokes.

But of course, like with anything, there were those relapses. Text messages could only go so far. Nothing could replace the real thing.

_Just call me, alright, kiddo? I love you._

_- Chris_

Mind slightly going off track, Alex once again broke out into a broad grin.

_I love you too._

_- Alex_

He closed the phone and dropped it back ontop of his shirt. The Michigan native finally finished setting up his shower, now plucking off the black wristbands on his wrists. Eyes barely passing over the scratches, new and old, he brushed his hair out of his eyes. Sure the relapses seemed weak, but he couldn't help it. They made him feel better.

It hurt too much to be away from Chris.

* * *

Jackie wrapped her arms around herself as she watched Christy flick away a crumb of her fat-free blueberry muffin. The pair of Knockouts were currently sitting inside the local coffee shop, Christy picking on a muffin, Jackie sipping on a water bottle she had brought along.

To be honest, Jackie felt as if the past two weeks had flown by. Everything had become a blur to her as of late and she felt incredibly overwhelmed. The blonde even had difficulty remembering the slightest things she was told to do. To make matters worse, as much as she wanted to tell Christy about what she had found out, she couldn't.

For one thing, she would kill her and totally overreact, and for another, she had her own prorblems to deal with. After a few moments, Jackie licked her lips and took a small sip of her water.

"So..."

"Look, Jacks, I just want to say sorry." Christy looked up from her muffin, staring at Jackie almost sheepishly. Jackie stared back at her, eyebrow raising confusedly.

"For what?"

"For everything. After everything that went down with Austin, I just... I don't know. I changed, I guess? What Austin did to me..." The red head bit down on her bottom lip, glaring daggers at the table as she let her hands fall into her lap. Jackie opened her mouth, shaking her head slowly.

"Christy, you don't have to apologize to me for anything. Besides-"

"No, I do," Christy cut her off abruptly, shrugging her shoulders almost sadly, "Ever since me and Austin broke up, I've been bitchy. I mean, I shouldn't be crying over him or snapping at people. If anything, you should. You're the one who got... well, you know, by that freaking idiot. I just found out my boyfriend was sleeping with the locker room slut. Happens in high school everyday."

Jackie remained silent for a second as she seemed to take this into consideration. After another moment, she instinctively reached out to stretch her arm across the table towards Christy.

"Austin's the freaking idiot and I was wrong about him. He just seemed so... genuine, you know? I thought you could trust him and just... ugh. But look, I'm not mad at you, I never was." Jackie pressed her lips together, still peering at Christy, who avoided eye contact.

"Then how come you haven't been telling me anything lately?"

This question caused Jackie to almost knock her water bottle over in pulling her arm back away from Christy. For a second, all she could do was blink and stare. Parting her lips slightly, Jackie tried to say something, but couldn't figure out what to say. What _was_ there to say?

"Christy... it's not you, trust me. It's nothing personal between us, I've just had a lot on my mind lately. Me and you are fine."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive." Jackie offered a tiny grin, watching as Christy finally looked up and tried to smile back. Both women sat there, each thinking individual thoughts. Christy dipped her head to the side only slightly.

"So, is there anything I should know about?"

"Like...?" Jackie continued watching Christy almost oddly.

"Like why you're keeping to yourself? I'm worried about you. If I'm not the problem, what is?" Christy crossed her arms loosely across her black tank top, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. Jackie glanced away, biting down on the inside of her cheek.

"Uhm..." Furrowing her eyebrows together, she looked back at Christy, "I really don't know." The blonde swallowed her pride nervously, fighting back the urge to tell Christy the entire story. If only she knew what was really going on. "Just a million little things. Nothing major, just overreacting. Sorry." Giving her another cheeky grin for reassurance, Jackie watched Christy finally nod and cast her skeptical eyes elsewhere.

If she couldn't even tell her best friend about what was wrong, how would she be able to tell anyone?

* * *

Austin lazily rolled over onto his stomach on Alex's bed, slamming the pillow down over his head and letting out a deep moan. He squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the bathroom door opening. Leticia finding out about Christy was one thing, but Christy finding out was another. He didn't really know why he had to go and cheat, but it was just so hard not to. Especially when the read head wouldn't put out and Leticia was well, always available.

Listening quietly as things were rummaged about, Austin removed the pillow from ontop of his head and glanced in the general direction of the person. Alex was standing there, fixing the white studded belt hanging around his waist.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"I dunno, just for a walk."

Alex shrugged lightly, moving over to the foot of the bed and sitting down. Austin sat up, crossing his legs and peering at his friend.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be able to do me a favor, would you?" The dark-haired man continued watching Alex intently. Alex, in return, raised an eyebrow.

"Depends... what kind of favor?"

Austin frowned for a split second, almost as if he were embarrassed by what was soon to pass off his lips. He rubbed the back of his neck, muttering the next few words, "Talk to Christy for me." This time, both of Alex's eyebrows went way up. He stared at Austin incrediously, lips parting quietly.

"Are you serious?" A tiny nod was enough to make Alex shake his head swiftly, "No. Austin, I'm not talking to your crazy ex-girlfriend for you."

"Please? I'll pay you, I swear."

"Still no. She'll probably try to stab _me_ just for knowing you."

The door opening and then slamming, meaning Kevin was back, interrupted their conversation and Austin's desperate look flashed into hatred and he glared at Alex menacingly.

"Asshole." Then, without a second thought, he bounced up to his feet and seemingly skipped over to where Kevin stood. Alex blinked, watching Austin's unexplainable actions before standing up and smoothing out his jeans.

"Hey, Austin, get your ass in gear, Jeff's invited the both of us over for some beer and poker." Kevin gave a curt nod in his smaller friend's direction as he crossed his arms gruffly. Austin beamed up at Kevin.

"Great. Just the lift-me-up I need. Give me ten minutes to get ready and we'll head on over." Without another word, Austin had already disappeared into the bathroom to get ready. Alex looked awkwardly over at Kevin, who only peered around the room impatiently. Jamming his fists in his pockets, Alex nodded.

"I take it I'll have the place to myself tonight again?"

"You could say that, I suppose." Kevin shrugged, finally looking straight at Alex. The two-toned haired man made his way around the fellow Michigan native, hands still in pockets.

"Gotcha. Well, I'll be back." Alex licked his lips and finally reached out to tear open the door and step out into the hallway. Ever since Chris had left and he had found out Kevin had said some unpleasant things about him, Alex didn't know how to act around him. Should he still be friendly? Or should he shut him out? Or was there some sort of middle ground? Either way, he tried to avoid him, which was fairly easy since he was never around.

Pushing his hair out of his eyes, Alex made his way down the hallway, no destination particularly in mind, but heart set on one thing and one thing only; tonight.

* * *

Jackie stifled a yawn, stretching her legs out before her as she leaned back slightly. The blonde woman had finally managed to tear herself away from Christy long enough to take a walk to the park to clear her head, whereas the red head merely went over to Gail's.

Brushing her long blonde locks behind her ear, Jackie licked her lips. The whole situation seemed surreal. Secretly, she even contemplated if AJ knew about everything, as if he planned for her to get pregnant. But she quickly dismissed that fact for two reasons. One, who in the right mind would plan on getting someone pregnant after a one-night stand. And two, no one knew about her dilemma.

Or as far as she knew. Frowning, Jackie squinted her dark eyes to look ahead of herself, watching people jog on by on the dirt path below her little perched hill.

"Having fun?"

Easily recognizing that voice, Jackie smiled and looked behind her to where Alex stood. Not saying anything else, the two-toned haired man plopped down next to her, his own eyes watching a small family enjoy a picnic lunch.

"Odd place for someone like you to come to."

"Says the man who is suddenly cheery after Chris disappears." Jackie grinned over at Alex, who simply shrugged in response.

"Cheery? No. Optimistic? Yes."

"Why's that?"

"Personal reasons, Jacks." Alex moved his elbows to rest ontop of his knees, still looking ahead of himself, although he couldn't help but let a small smile tug at the corners of his lips. Jackie turned her own attention elsewhere, shaking her head. The two had bumped into each other every now and then over the course of the past two weeks and every time, Jackie found herself fighting with her feelings.

Did she still like Alex? Or was she past that stage? Were they mere co-workers still or newly-found friends? Scoffing silently, Jackie twirled her hair around her forefinger.

"So, you talk to Chris lately?" Her heart skipped a beat as that smile finally filled Alex's features.

"Yeah. He really likes it out there, but says the days are flying by."

"Well that's good."

An awkward silence filled the air and Jackie once again found herself quietly contemplating thoughts and battling her emotions. Alex was a friend. Just a friend and nothing more. Besides, he evidently loved Chris and she had her own problems to deal with. Like this kid for instance.

"How's Christy holding up?" Alex's question caught Jackie off-guard and she blinked for a second, momentarily clearing the cobwebs.

"She's good. I think she's over the whole situation, hopefully. And Austin?"

"Drinking and living it up, of course. Really need to ask?" Alex rolled his eyes as if it were the most obvious thing ever, although he couldn't help but think back to how weird Austin acted in front of Kevin, almost as if he were afraid the bigger man would find out he had a soft side. Jackie furrowed her eyebrows together.

"And to think I at one point considered him human." The Knockout huffed, looking away from Alex again.

"It's Austin, Jackie. He's not a person, he's a woman-user. Makes you feel special and boom, is off sleeping with your best friend. Christy's not the first and she's certainly not the last. Just be glad it was her and not you." Alex finally looked over at Jackie, arms still perched on his knees. Jackie looked back at him, smiling softly.

"Trust me, I would rather be used by Austin than be in my position. Much simpler."

"Say that now, but when your heart's torn into pieces, you'll regret ever thinking like that." Alex gave her a slightly pointed look before wiping his hands together and standing up. Jackie watched him do so, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Better get going. Got things to do and it's a pretty lengthy walk back home. See ya, Jacks."

With that said and done, the dark-eyed man spun on his heel and ventured back off. Jackie watched him leave quietly for a few moments before looking back out ahead of herself. He was a strange character, but she preferred it that way. Mysterious, but at the same time, somewhat open. She smiled, once again leaning back. It was much better to see the cheerier side of Alex, rather than the depressed one she had gotten used to.

Either way, she knew for a fact she still had traces of love left for him.

* * *

Later that night, Alex stared up at the white ceiling of his hotel room. Austin and Kevin still weren't back and he was contemplating on calling Chris. What exactly did he mean by _'tonight'_? Was that seven at night? Or ten at night? Squinting his eyes up at the rugged surface above him as if it would help him decide on a time, Alex ran his finger across the smooth surface of his cell phone. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he dropped the phone beside him on the bed and rubbed both his eyes with his hands.

Besides, what would they even talk about? It wasn't as if there were many topics to choose from. Biting down on his lip nonetheless, he reached over and picked up the phone, flipping it open to his contacts. Scrolling down a few names, he clicked on Chris' and brought it up to his ear, listening to the ringing on the other line.

After a few seconds, the line clicking and a gruff, "Hello?" made Alex momentarilly forget just who he was calling. His dark eyes looked around himself almost nervously, listening to the silence on the other end.

"Hi." He finally managed to choke out. He heard a slight laugh on the other end, and he instantly recognized it as Chris', meaning some stange man hadn't picked up the phone.

"Hey, buddy boy. How ya been?" Chris finally replied and Alex could just picture him flopping onto the couch inside his ever-so cozy Japanese hotel room. Pausing for a split second, Alex played with his belt.

"I've been better, I guess. You?"

"Pretty good, actually. I really forgot what it was like to be inside a ring, y'know?" Chris sounded almost excited, even if Alex frowned. A small silence was broken by Chris once again opening his mouth. "But I do miss you, 'lex..."

A tiny smile was brought back to Alex's features at hearing that and he nodded slightly.

"I miss you too..." The two-toned haired man whispered quietly, sitting up on his bed and crossing his legs. He played with a small strand of blonde hair, remaining silent once again. He still didn't know what to say.

"Well, just think of it this way," Chris suddenly put on a cheerier tone, "as soon as I get back, you can welcome me back in your own personal way." This earned a quiet laugh from Alex, causing Chris to grin.

"I really would like that, Chris. I'm not lying when I say I miss you."

"Only a few more weeks and I'll be back, trust me. It'll fly by." Chris gave a tiny nod, throwing himself against the wall inside his hotel room and crossing his free arm across his stomach. "You been behaving yourself like promised?"

"Yeah."

"Have the guys been nice to you?"

"Haven't really talked to them..."

"How's Jackie?"

"Fine."

"You still... doing that thing you do?"

"...No." Alex frowned deeply, hearing the awkwardness in Chris' voice. He glanced at the phone out of the corner of his eye, listening to Chris mumble something incoherant. He rubbed the back of his neck before drawing his knees up to his chest. Sure it hurt to lie to Chris, but he didn't want to go back to square one with him all over a stupid cut.

"Well, I'm gonna be heading off soon. Time difference and whatnot." Chris wiped his palm on his jeans, using his shoulder to hold the phone to his ear, "I'll see you in a few months, alright?"

"Okay." Alex ran his finger down the side of his jeans, staring at his knees blankly as he replied.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With that said and done, Chris had hung up the phone. Alex clicked the end button as well, tossing the phone effortlessly onto the bed. He sighed and buried his face in his knees. So he had talked to Chris. So he had finally been able to hear his voice again. So what? It didn't matter any, and if anything, the entire conversation seemed incredibly awkward and unnecessary. It even seemed as if it hurt him even more.

He wanted and needed Chris by his side again.

* * *

A/N: Okay, sorry for this chapter being ridiculously uneventful, but that's what a healing chapter is for, is it not? Sorry for taking so long too. But I can guarantee that the next chapter will turn everything all around once again, buh-lieve me :)


	19. I'm Living A Nightmare

**A/N:** I'm on a roll with updating my stories lately. Well... no not really. But two stories in one day has to give me some credit. Ha. Anywho, sorry for taking so long. This story is officially back in action. Yay!

* * *

It had been almost three months. Three months since Chris left. Three months since they had kissed. Three months since Alex had been truly happy. Staring down into the dark liquid before him, Alex hunched over the wooden counter inside the local nightclub. Kevin and Austin were once again over at Jeff's and Austin was still acting like his weird self around Kevin.

But Alex pushed all of those thoughts out of his mind, instead focusing on himself and himself only. In another week Chris would be back and they'd pick up right where they had left off.

Right?

The man mentally shook his head, hands clenching even more tightly around his drink. When Chris came back, they would pick up _exactly_ where they had left off. No ifs, ands or buts about it. He was going to make sure of it. But for the current moment, Chris wasn't here and he wouldn't be back for another two weeks.

If he had survived this long without the dirty-blonde haired man, what would another fourteen days do to crack him? Inhaling slightly, Alex leaned back into his seat, now focusing his dark gaze on the counter before him.

He had to concentrate on something other than Chris, at least for a few minutes. He was starting to feel as if he were obsessed with the other man. Sure he had been there when things truly sucked and stuck by him, despite a few bumps along the road so far, but was thinking about him twenty four hours a day worth it all? Was love really all it was cracked up to be?

He felt empty when Chris wasn't around, but yet he always felt so vulnerable and insecure about himself when he _was_ around. But then again... it felt right. He felt safe. Alex closed his eyes, swallowing a small lump in his throat.

As if to help himself stop thinking about everything, he quickly picked up his glass, downing the dark liquid in the blink of an eye. Slamming the glass back down onto the counter, he flagged down the bar tender and ordered another drink.

"Kid, you're looking a little pale. You doing alright tonight?" The bar tender quirked an eyebrow at Alex upon handing him his drink. Alex nodded carelessly, waving the older man off.

"Just peachy."

With a shrug, the man had disappeared to two new customers. Alex once again downed his drink, ignoring the burning in the back of his throat. If sitting here, drinking his night away alone was his great idea of forgetting things, then he really sucked at great ideas.

Aggravation growing within him, Alex stood up and tossed a twenty onto the counter. There was no point in getting wasted and feeling like crap the next morning. Hands shoved into pockets, he headed out the door and back to his car. There was only one place he could honestly think of at the moment to try and forget the present.

* * *

"Christy, I shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be here. _Why_ are we here?" Jackie grumbled angrily, standing still and looking her best friend dead in the eye. The seemingly cheery red head only continued to dance along with the overly loud music, alcohol already flowing through her veins.

"Because we need to live. Are we really going to let men run our lives?" Christy giggled, holding her hands up above her head and humming her own happy tune. Leticia and SoCal were dancing only a few feet away, both equally as lost in the giant swarm of people inside Jeff's house.

"Uhm, well if that man happened to fuck everything up, then _yes_." Jackie shook her head, ignoring the deafening beat of the music. Christy seemed to ignore her, however, and continued dancing. Jackie inwardly sighed. Getting wasted over some stupid guy wasn't going to make Christy feel better, so why did she even bother? Groaning inwardly, the blonde moved away from the crowd.

She definitely shouldn't be here. Especially not with so much alcohol already out and about. The smell alone was making her stomach churn. Breathing out deeply, she moved out to the balcony to try and ease her stomach with some fresh air. Thankfully she didn't share Christy's state of mind and even as much as she didn't want to carry around AJ's child, she wasn't going to drink herself silly in hopes of killing it.

Jackie lightly closed the door behind her, quickly enjoying the cool breeze that welcomed her out onto the balcony. She rested her palms on the railing, staring out across the sky and focusing on the honking of the cars down below.

"Well, if it isn't just the lucky lady I was looking for." A southern accent quickly brought Jackie back to earth and she whirled around, coming face to face with AJ. His twinkling blue eyes met her startled brown ones and they both stood there, staring at each other for a good second or two until Jackie broke the silence.

"Hi AJ." Even saying his name felt weird to her. Swallowing her pride, the blonde subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. AJ smirked at noticing her uneasiness, but cocked an eyebrow.

"What's wrong, doll? Thought you could be yourself around me?" He chuckled quietly, obviously thinking back to the night he and Jackie had spent together only a few months ago. But it seemed as if it were just last night to Jackie. She felt trapped in this nightmare, but wasn't about to sit here and pity herself.

"Is there anything I can do for you, AJ?" Shifting her gaze to the ground, Jackie drew a shaky breath.

"What? A guy can't have a civilized conversation with someone now a days?" AJ jammed his fists into the front pockets of his jeans, that same smirk from before still on his face.

"Is there even a point in asking me whether or not I want to talk? After all, you never seem to take 'no' for an answer, do you?" Jackie looked back up to meet his gaze, spitting this out dangerously. Her heart beat sped up, knowing she was back into treading into dangerous waters, but her mind told her to keep going down this road.

"Excuse me?" AJ's eyes narrowed only slightly, but his eyes still glowed with amusement. "Don't you dare talk to me like I'm some selfish bastard."

"Why shouldn't I? After all, that's all you are!" Jackie straightened her posture a little bit, balling her hands into tight fists at her sides. AJ's expression hardened.

"You disrespectful little bitch. Give me a good reason as to why I shouldn't-"

"Shouldn't what, AJ? What more could you possibly do to me!?" Jackie's voice raised with each word she shouted, trying to push back the inevitable tears threatening to spill. "You got me insanely drunk. You took me back to your place, knowing very well what you were planning on doing. You _raped_ me, AJ." The blonde gave up trying to fight back the tears as her voice cracked. AJ only stared back at her, his expression unreadable. "You raped me and you humiliated me and you know what? You got me fucking _pregnant_. I'm stuck dealing with _your_ mistake for the rest of my life!"

She stomped her foot almost childishly, but she didn't care. She had gotten her point across and had finally broken the news to the man. AJ continued to stare back at her, shock suddenly filling his eyes as he seemed to soak all of this in. Both remained quiet for a few minutes, Jackie glaring at the ground while AJ focused on his shoes.

"Who else knows."

Jackie blinked as the silence was broken, unsure if she had heard him right. Was that really the first question to pop into his mind?

"Huh?"

"Who else fucking knows that you're pregnant." AJ repeated himself, anger dripping in his words. Jackie swallowed uneasily, those tears still streaming down her cheeks. Hearing him repeat himself, she quickly realized why he wanted to know. He wanted her to tell him whether or not she had broken their little deal.

"No one."

AJ's face grew skeptical upon hearing this, but Jackie kept her eyes focused on his face. The Southern man let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his short hair.

"Are you positive it's mine?"

"What, are you implying that I'm some sort of slut?" Jackie's gaze narrowed, watching him give a tiny shrug.

"Well, you're friends with Christy and you prance around in your underwear on national TV, which you consider a career..."

"I'm _positive_ it's yours." Grinding her teeth, Jackie felt her anger heighten upon him dragging both Christy and her job into all of this. AJ nodded, looking away for half a second.

"Get rid of it." He spoke with authority, hands moving back to his pockets as if that settled everything. Jackie's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"_Why_?"

"I don't want it. Neither of us do. It's nothing more than a mistake. I mean, do you really think Cornette's going to love the idea of me knocking you up on a drunken night? Exactly." He turned on his heel as if he were going to leave, but Jackie speaking up caused him to stop.

"I don't want to."

Now it was AJ's turn to let confusion cross his features. "Why?"

"It's my baby, AJ. I can't just get rid of it because you told me to. Like I said, you made a mistake and I'm stuck living with it for the rest of my life. But unlike you, I'm not a chicken and I'm not walking away as if it never happened." Jackie licked her lips, staring at AJ's back. The man seemed to take all of this into consideration before spinning back around to face her.

"If you keep that damned thing, I will personally make sure that you lose everything else that's precious to you, including everyone close to you." He pointed a warning finger at her dangerously.

"Why does it matter so much to you whether or not I have this baby?" Jackie spoke quietly, visibly shaken by his words.

"Because people will talk. Do you really want to prove to everyone that it's alright to have kids from stupid one-night-stands? My reputation will be crushed as soon as they find out whose the kid's father. Trust me, they will find out. You women are all the same." AJ shook his head slowly, swearing as he did so. Jackie felt a new batch of tears fill her eyes, but spoked nonetheless.

"And whose fault is that?"

With that said and done, she brushed past him to head back inside. However, he caught her wrist and drew her back to him.

"Believe me when I say this, Jacks. You keep that baby, I will personally make sure your life turns into a living hell." He spat these words out dangerously, giving Jackie goosebumps. The blonde broke free of his grasp and tried to walk as quickly as she could to the double doors, desperate to get back home and just try to forget this night.

But fate wasn't on her side tonight. After yanking open the doors, she managed to walk straight into someone heading out onto the balcony. She grumbled an apology, but froze at noticing who it was.

Alex stared down at her, seemingly ignoring the fact that his drink had spilled onto the ground. He raised an eyebrow and Jackie quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

"I was just leaving." She mumbled quietly, knowing very well AJ was still watching the scene from a few feet away.

"Are you okay?" Alex shuffled his feet, eyes still watching her curiously.

"I'm fine. Just tired. Heading home for some much-needed sleep. Sorry again." Shaking her head, the blonde tried to worm her way past Alex, but he stood still, eyes taking note of AJ's figure. He lowered his gaze back down to Jackie, frowning.

"Do you... want me to drive you home?"

Jackie's eyes flicked back up to Alex's and she froze, seeming to take into consideration her choices. She had used a taxi to get here seeing as Christy had decided it was "smart" that neither of them drove everyone home. And it _was_ a lengthy walk back home...

"Sure." She gave him a half smile, which he returned only slightly. "Just let me tell Christy I'm leaving." And with that, she had disappeared into the crowd. Alex glanced at his drink, finishing what was left of it before deciding to make his way to the door to wait for Jackie.

Why had he offered her a ride home, especially when he was in no condition to drive in the first place? All he had done since getting here was drink even more, and even share a few laughs with Austin and Kevin for some bizarre reason. He had originally come here to think and free his mind, but that ship sailed as soon as he had finished two more drinks.

Shaking his mind as Jackie came back into view, he flagged her down and opened the door for the pair to start heading off. If he could manage to hold the alcohol down for the ten minute drive back home, then he should be fine. After all, what Jackie didn't know couldn't hurt her.

* * *

"Well, this is cozy." Jackie murmured, her hand sliding against the cool leather inside the small black car. Alex sat beside her in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel more tightly than needed. The blonde didn't seem to notice, her mind elsewhere. AJ's words still bounced around inside her head, giving her a small headache.

She leaned her head against the cool glass of the window, closing her eyes briefly. Alex didn't seem to want to talk, letting her choose between thinking and sleeping. As of the current moment, the latter definitely seemed to be in her favor.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight." Jackie mumbled this almost inaudibly, arms crossing protectively around her body. Alex remained silent, eyes still glaring out at the road.

Letting out a small yawn, Jackie finally let herself slip into unconsciousness, mind drifting further and further away from the small car speeding down the almost abandoned road inside the unusually quiet city. Instead, she was in a happier place. Somewhere where no one like AJ could touch her or the people she loved - including his son.

However, it was far too soon when reality struck in. The blonde only had enough time to flutter open her eyes and see the tree coming straight at the car. She let out an ear-piercing scream, trying to move her body out of the way to no avail. The car hit the tree at a dead stop, thrusting both Alex and Jackie forward and into the dashboard.

Jackie let out another scream, this one more like a whimper, as the pain surged through her body. She doubled over in pain as best she could, tears springing to her eyes as she lay there, forehead resting against the dashboard. She was only half thankful for the seatbelt she had chosen to put on before heading off. But the pain was absolutely unbearable.

Alex, on the other hand, felt his entire body stiffen as he lay half out on the hood of the car. His face remained face down on the car hood as an almost sadistic smile crossed his features. He could hear Jackie's whimpering, but it sounded so much farther away than it really was. Other than that, it was silent. No arguing, no screaming, nothing. He was peaceful.

People often imagined death as a constant blackness full of nothing. Alex, however, appreciated the slowly creeping of the black. He wanted to feel nothing. He wanted to be numb. To no longer have to constantly battle with himself would be a gift alone.

But to never have to argue with anyone ever again... that was something he had never dreamt of achieving. These few moments of absolutely nothing but peace and mindless floating were what made Alex believe that deep down inside, this was all worth it.

As corny as he knew it sounded, he saw his life flash before his eyes. He could see the times - both good and bad - throughout various stages of his life. When he met Chris, when his father officially abandoned him, when he first fell in what he thought was love with that Kristen girl from high school, when he got the job at TNA... everything.

He had to suffer for so long to realize what true peace was. Everything happened for a reason.

Jay, Sonjay, AJ, Cornette, Chris... they would never know what pure bliss this felt like. They would never understand.

Chris... The ever-familiar name sent a sudden jolt through Alex's body and he immediately put his mind on over-drive. What would happen to the dirty-blonde haired man now? Would he just come home to find out that Alex was dead? That he had officially wasted his time here?

Alex's heart tightened in his chest. He couldn't do that to Chris. He had to survive this no matter how good it felt. He couldn't die here. He wouldn't let himself.

"How long do you think it's been since the accident?" Alex felt himself tune in more closely at hearing new voices arrive on the scene.

"Not too long. Damage looks pretty recent."

"Let's get them back to the the hospital. Looks pretty bad."

Alex could feel their hands on his body, pulling him onto the stretcher after checking him out. He could hear them talking to him, but all he could do was stare back up at them through blank, unreadable eyes. He felt his mouth run dry, but couldn't find the will to close it. Suddenly, everything hurt. He couldn't move, but he felt as if he were on fire.

He didn't try to talk back. He didn't try to nod or shake his head. He only had one thought running through his mind, especially as Chris flashed through his memories.

_I'm sorry._

* * *

Chris let out an almost monstrous yawn, stretching out all parts of his body as soon as he got off the plane. The tour in Japan had ended about one week before it should've - more or less because of the fact that there hadn't been that many guys in the first place. But whatever. He had gotten his money and gotten out of there.

Now that he was back on American land, the only thought in his mind was Alex. Ever since that unforgettable scene in the airport three months ago, Chris had been ultimately excited to return, just to see Alex's smiling face once again. He rubbed the back of his head, sleep still evident in his eyes.

Stupid time difference. Picking up his bags, he moved out towards the taxis, hoping to grab one before too much traffic started up. He quickly flagged a guy down, tossed his duffel bags in the trunk, and climbed into the back seat. After instructing the driver on where exactly to go he leaned back into the seat and pulled out his neon green i-pod nano, choosing a song to listen to.

As Tokio Hotel's "Ready, Set, Go" filled his ears, Chris let his head fall against the window drowsily. Wrestling every night was definitely something he missed, even if he didn't miss the bruises. And the fans out there were great too. They appreciated real wrestling and not the drama a lot of other fans enjoyed.

Feeling his phone vibrating against his leg in his jeans' pocket, Chris quickly whipped it out and studied the caller ID. Confusion crossing his features, he pulled out the headphones and flipped open the phone.

"Cornette?"

"Chris! How're you doing, buddy boy!?" Cornette's unusually happy tune greeted Chris' ears before he could even register the words.

"G-good, sir. Uhm... can I ask why you're calling?" Blue eyes glancing back out the window, Chris tuned back into the music, only half listening to his boss - even if he didn't really count now that he was pretty much on probation.

"Of course you can, my boy." Cornette let out a chuckle. Okay, he was sounding way too cheery. What the hell. "I just went over a few things and well, you're more than welcome to come back to TNA as of next week. You're a hit with the fans and I have this amazing storyline to go over with you. Trust me, it'll be like you never even left!"

"Excuse me!?" Chris' grin was almost impossible to contain. He sat up straighter, officially paying full attention to the cellular device next to his ear.

"You heard me. You're coming back next week. New storyline, new attitude, new everything!" Cornette gave a hearty laugh and Chris almost clapped in excitement. Getting his job back so soon was the last thing he expected, but he definitely wasn't going to complain. Just wait until Alex heard. Alex...

"Wait, Jim. What about Alex...?" Chris frowned more to himself now, once again rubbing the back of his neck. Cornette was silent on the other end.

"...what about him?"

"Is he coming back too?" Chris' eyes glanced around the taxi almost impatiently, chewing on the inside of his cheek quietly.

"Why would he be? After all of the drama he caused around here last time-"

"Then no deal." Chris spoke evenly, free arm crossing across his black hoodie stubbornly.

"What?"

"You heard me. If you want me to come back, Alex comes back too. We're a package deal." Chris shrugged, letting out a small sigh.

"Since when did you two get all buddy-buddy again? I thought for sure you two were going to tear each other's heads off last time I checked..." Cornette spoke unsurely and Chris could picture him scratching his head thoughtfully, even if a small blush came across his features at hearing Jim question the pair.

"The deal still stands despite what's happened the past few months. We've... matured?" Chris struggled for a correct term, but didn't say much more. Cornette was once again quiet, seemingly debating the whole situation and how it could turn around in his favor.

"Fine. Next week, both you and Alex will return to Total Nonstop Action. I suppose this can work out into a slightly different angle than I originally planned, but no big deal." Cornette's happy voice was back once more. Chris grinned into the phone.

"Thanks, Jim. Really."

"Not a problem, Sabin. Just remember. See me sometime this week for a briefing over your new storyline. Both of you."

"Got it." Chris licked his lips, that grin still resting on his features.

"Now if you excuse me, I have some errands to run." Cornette almost suddenly transferred back into a businessman, causing Chris to shake his head.

"Don't let me keep you from getting them done. Bye, Jim." After hearing a bye, Chris snapped the phone shut. He sat there for a few more seconds, just grinning at the seat before him.

They got their jobs back.

* * *

"Alex?" Lightly tapping on the door to the hotel room, Chris peeked his head inside. It was surprisingly open, prompting the dirty-blonde haired man to walk inside a few more feet. "Hello?"

"What." Kevin's dead-panned response was one Chris really didn't miss. He had actually forgotten about the monstrously large man up until now. Blinking blankly, Chris frowned.

"Is Alex around?"

"No. No thanks to you." Austin's sarcastic tone came from behind Chris and he spun around to find the flamboyant man leaning against the door frame.

"What do you mean?" Chris glanced between each of Alex's roommates, curiosity and fear both filling his heart.

"What, are you st-"

"Alex got into an accident." Kevin cut Austin off swiftly, arms crossed across his chest gruffly. "Jackie was with him."

"What... kind of accident?" Chris swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, wide eyes meeting Kevin's surprisingly concerned ones.

"Car accident, of course. What else would it be? Him and Jackie are both in the hospital." Kevin met Austin's gaze and with a single nod, the purple-clad man had disappeared down the hall and to the elevator.

"That bad?" Chris grit his teeth together almost regretfully.

"We don't know yet. We were just heading out to go check it out when you showed up, delaying us." Kevin rolled his eyes, but anger seemed to be the last thing on his mind.

"I'm sorry..." Chris lowered his gaze, looking at the floor now. He nervously shuffled his feet, fists jammed into his pockets.

"I take it you want to come visit the kid too?"

"Of course... if you want me to..."

"You know just as well as I do that I don't want you there. But I'm not about to ruin Alex's day any worse by telling him I wouldn't let his new playmate come visit him." Kevin moved past Chris, heading over towards the door.

"Kevin?" Chris spun around, looking up at the much bigger man with a half smile, "Thanks." The only response he got was a huff, but that didn't stop him from following Kevin to the elevator Austin had waiting for them.

* * *

"How are you?" Sitting up sorely, Alex glanced over at Jackie, who had been oddly quiet despite everything. It was eerie. The white walls, the pristine sheets, creepy silence... everything about this place made Alex jumpy, but he tried to stay calm, telling himself that it would all be over soon.

The blonde, however, remained quiet. She still sat there, hooked up to different IVs, those once warm brown eyes staring lifelessly ahead of herself. Alex lowered his own brown eyes, taking note of his own IVs and battle scars.

Other than major bruising, a sprained wrist from when he landed on the car hood and various cuts along his face and arms - including a gash on his forehead - he was fine. The doctors told him to take it easy for a while and that the alcohol would only make things worse tomorrow... great.

None of them were too pleased to find out that alcohol had been involved and even questioned the scabbing scratches, but he dismissed them, instead focusing on other matters at hand. He glared down at the white sheets covering his body angrily. Why had he been so stupid? All of this could've been avoided so easily.

"They said I lost it."

Jackie's quiet voice broke the silence, causing Alex to peek back over at her through his hair. He took in her unusually pale skin and the way she shook before quickly catching onto what she was saying.

"Jacks... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't, Alex. It's not your fault. It wasn't meant to be... I wasn't meant to be a mother just yet." Jackie continued to stare ahead of herself, words being spoken but nothing crossing her face. Alex frowned, guilt washing over him.

"Who was the father?" Alex continued to watch her, mentally trying to picture the kind of guy she would go after so he knew who to avoid.

"No one important." Jackie whispered back.

"Jacks."

"I said it was no one important, Alex. He never mattered. It was all an accident."

Alex finally tore his gaze away from Jackie, sinking back down into his own cot. He stared up at the ceiling behind blurry eyes. He had screwed up her life forever because of a stupid moment. He had screwed up his own life even worse than it had been before, as well. Brilliant.

Just fucking brilliant.

"You only have about a half hour until closing and please try to be quiet." A woman's voice was heard, speaking too softly to be normal, before the door opened. Not a second later, a blur of red that Alex assumed was Christy had rushed to Jackie's side. Behind her, Gail and Traci followed a bit more calmly. After them was Kevin and Chris, Austin following them only after he had finished checking out the nurse that had let them in.

"OH JACKIE!" Christy wailed, grabbing her best friend's hand sympathetically and unusually gently despite her obnoxious voice.

"Sh, Christy." Gail warned, slapping the red head's arm lightly. She turned her attention back on Jackie. "How're you doing, sweetheart?"

"Bastard." Christy's grumble was heard throughout the room, eyes glaring daggers straight at Alex. But Traci stepped in front of her view on the other side of Jackie almost purposely.

"Hey, 'lex." Kevin smiled grimly, placing a hand lightly on Alex's shoulder comfortingly. Austin gave Alex a tiny nod as well, while Chris stood back a few feet away awkwardly.

"You don't have to be here if you don't want to be, you know." Alex muttered, gaze focused entirely on the foot of his bed.

"What makes you think we don't want to be here?" Kevin frowned, studying the smaller man incredulously.

"You've made it quite obvious these past few months. Sorry for being such a bother." Alex narrowed his eyes, refusing to meet Kevin or Austin's gazes.

"Alex." Chris spoke up, taking a tiny step forward. He took note of the sudden light in Alex's eyes, but tried his best to remain on track and not jump on the other man and kiss him. "Cut them a break. They really were worried about you..."

Alex finally looked up at Kevin, and then Austin. He chewed on his bottom lip unsurely. "Why."

"Because they're your friends, whether you want to believe so or not." Chris continued to speak up, moving so that he was right by Alex's head on the opposite side of Kevin and Austin. "We all haven't been very good to you in the past. But we all realized our wrongs and we're here now, aren't we? If this was nothing more than a charity case, trust me, you would be able to tell. But does it look like any of us are faking our concern?" Chris reached down to place his hand on Alex's arm, locking eyes with him.

"No..."

"Exactly. You scared us... all of us." Chris nodded, staring down at the white sheets, refusing to meet Kevin or Austin's gazes. The other two men stared over at Alex, neither saying anything else. Alex was quiet for a minute or two, seeming to take into consideration his current predicament.

"Thank you." He finally looked back up to look at Kevin and Austin and then Chris. "For everything..." Alex shook his head, moving so that his hair covered his teary eyes. Chris didn't fight the urge to move this time. He immediately leaned down to kiss Alex's forehead and hug him as closely to himself as he could without causing much pain. Alex gladly returned the hug, giving Kevin the tiniest of smiles over Chris' shoulder.

_I will not die, I'll wait here for you  
I will not die, when you're beside me  
I will not die, I'll wait here for you  
In my time of dying_

* * *

**A/N:** What's this? Did I actually write a happy ending for once!? Well... okay, maybe it's not the ending. But it was a happy ending to a chapter. That's gotta count for something, right? Haha. The chunk of lyrics at the end of the last scene is from Three Days Grace's "Time of Dying" - in which I own absolutely nothing because unfortunately, I will never ever marry Adam Gontier. Sigh.

I planned the whole car accident scene out somewhat according to the lyrics of that song. It was actually my inspiration to write that scene. Hopefully I didn't screw it up too badly.. Mleh. And the song Chris listens to on the car drive home has some meaning to me in the sense that it makes me think of this story. You could say that it's one of their songs. :)

Be on the lookout for an update sometime (hopefully) soon!


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